SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
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Except  a  loaned  book." 


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Plan  of  the  C.i  t y  of  New  York. 


ft  EFFKENCES 

F  I  Federal  //all  W  &Uhmmi  fAreh 

2  St/'auls  Churrh  20  French- D" 

3  Trmity  D"  21  New  Quaker  Mkrtmff 

4  Old Prettgterian J) '  22  Stetdtr,  />' 

5  Erchangr  S3  Moravian  /)' 

6  AW  Church  2/ Fori  Gearys  in  Latitude  10  41 

7  New  Presbyterian-  25  fly  Market 
It  StStHjH  Inapt/-  26  Osweyo  D" 

9  Sf  I'eteh  Church  2  7  Boar  D  * 

10  TheColJeye  2X  Pecks  Slip D° 

11  New . Scot* Meeting  2!)  New  D" 
11  Old  Dutch  Church  30  Bn -  Jewell 
ft  New  Dutch  1)'  31  City  Mm  J  Ho 

14  Jews  Synagogue      32  Prison 
/.>  Old  QuakerMeetino  33  Hospital 

/t,  Methodist  D"         W Theatre 

islJ}"        3S>  Tern  'Burying  Crnund 

15  tnlvanist  Cluirch  36 Lower  Barrack 

37  Upper  D° 
X"  I    South  Ward 


THE 

CITY  OF  NEW  YORK 

IN  THE  YEAR  OF 

WASHINGTON'S  INAUGURATION 

1789 

BY 

THOMAS  E.  V.  SMITH 


I  pray  you,  let  us  satisfy  our  eyes 

With  the  memorials  and  the  things  of  fame 

That  do  renown  this  city." 

Twelfth  Night 


NEW  YORK 
ANSON  D.  F.   RANDOLPH  &  CO. 
38  West  Twenty-third  Street 
1889 


5 


Copyright,  1889,  by 
THOMAS   E.  V.  SMITH 


TROWS 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK. 


CONTENTS. 


i. 

PAGE 

General  description  of  the  city — Population — New  York  Hospital — 
Great  George  Street — Water  supply — City  buildings — Society 
for  the  Relief  of  Distressed  Debtors — Broadway — Bowling 
Green — Fort  George — Residents  of  the  principal  streets — Fed- 
eral Hall — Suburban  residences,  I 


II. 

City  Government  —  Courts — Judges — Lawyers — Watchmen — Fire- 
men— Militia — Society  of  the  Cincinnati — Naval  officers — Poli- 
tics— Congressional  election — State  election — St.  Tammany's 
Society — Meeting  of  Congress — Election  of  United  States  Sen- 
ators —  Federal  office-holders  —  Post-office  —  Representatives 
from  foreign  countries,  53 


III. 

Healthfulness  of  the  city — Climate — Provisions — Markets — Physi- 
cians— Dress — Trade — Stage  routes — The  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce— Exports  and  imports — Wharfs  and  ferries — Marine  So- 
ciety— General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen — New 
York  Manufacturing  Society — Bank  of  New  York — Mutual  As- 
surance Company — Societies — Social  amusements — Taverns — 
Slaves — Society  for  the  Manumission  of  Slaves,  88 


IV. 

Sunday  laws — Collegiate  Dutch  churches — Protestant  Episcopal 
churches — Corporation  for  the  Relief  of  the  Widows  and  Chil- 
dren of  Clergymen — French  Huguenot  church — Friends'  meet- 
ing-houses— Lutheran  church — Jewish  synagogue — Presbyterian 


iv 


Contents. 


PAGE 

churches  —  Baptist  church  —  Moravian  church —  German  Re- 
formed church — Methodist  churches — Roman  Catholic  church — 
Independent  Congregational  church,  124 


V. 

Theatres  in  the  city  previous  to  1789 — The  John  Street  Theatre — 
The  Old  American  Company — Plays  acted  during  the  year  1789 
— Plays  by  American  authors— Theatrical  controversies — Nat- 
ural curiosities  and  wax-works — Musical  entertainments,     .  .166 


VI. 

Columbia  College — Controversies  with  regard  to  its  establishment — 
College  professors — Commencement  exercises  in  1789 — Schools 
— Music — Dancing-masters — Literature — Science  —  Books  and 
booTcsellers — New  York  Society  Library — Artists— Newspapers 
and  editors,  189 


VII. 

Messengers  appointed  to  notify  the  President  and  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States  of  their  election — Congressional  commit- 
tees to  receive  them  in  New  York — John  Adams'  reception  and 
installation  in  office — The  Presidential  Barge — Reception  of 
George  Washington  in  New  York  City — Dr.  Cogswell's  account 
of  it — Extracts  from  Miss  Morton's  Diary — The  President's 
house — Discussion  with  regard  to  the  President's  title — Ar- 
rangements for  his  inauguration — The  inaugural  ceremonies — 
Contemporary  accounts  of  the  event — Washington's  household 
expenses — The  Assembly  Ball — Addresses  of  congratulation — 
Mrs.  Washington's  arrival  in  New  York — Incidents  in  Washing- 
ton's life  while  in  New  York — Comparison  between  New  York 
City  in  1789  and  in  1889,  214 


I. 

General  Description  of  the  City. 

On  the  first  day  of  January  1789  New  York  City  had  not 
yet  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  great  fires  of  Sep- 
tember 2 1st  1776  and  of  August  3rd  1778  nor  from  its  occu- 
pation by  the  British  during  seven  years  which  ended  on  the 
25th  of  November  1783.  Three  of  the  city  landmarks  had  not 
yet  been  fully  restored.  Trinity  Church  was  not  completely 
rebuilt ;  the  Lutheran  Church  which  had  stood  on  the  south- 
ern corner  of  Rector  Street  and  Broadway  was  a  mass  of  ruins 
known  as  the  Burnt  Lutheran  Church  ;  and  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church  was  still  in  the  hands  of  its  rebuilders.  Improve- 
ments, however,  had  been  actively  begun,  and  the  poverty 
caused  by  the  Revolution  was  now  considerably  amended. 
In  1785  John  Thurman,  a  city  merchant,  wrote:  "  Many  of 
our  new  merchants  and  shopkeepers  set  up  since  the  war  have 
failed.  We  have  nothing  but  complaints  of  bad  times.  In 
Philadelphia  it  is  worse.  Yet  labour  is  very  high  and  all  arti- 
cles of  produce  very  high.  Very  small  are  our  exports. 
There  is  no  ship  building,  but  house  building  in  abundance, 
and  house  rent  remains  high.  Law  in  abundance,  the  Tres- 
pass Act  is  food  for  the  lawyers — yet  we  say  there  is  no 
money.  Feasting  and  every  kind  of  extravagance  go  on — 
reconcile  these  things  if  you  can.  Gloomy  joys."  In  a  paper 
published  by  the  American  Philosophical  Society  in  1843 
Samuel  Breck  also  writes  as  follows:  "  In  the  month  of  June 
of  the  year  1787,  on  my  return  from  a  residence  of  a  few 
years  in  France,  I  arrived  at  that  city,  and  found  it  a  ne- 
glected place,  built  chiefly  of  wood,  and  in  a  state  of  prostra- 
tion and  decay.  A  dozen  vessels  in  port;  Broadway  from 
Trinity  Church  inclusive  down  to  the  Battery,  in  ruins,  owing 


6 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


to  a  fire  that  had  occurred  when  the  city  was  occupied  by  the 
enemy,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war.  The  ruined  walls 
of  the  houses  standing  on  both  sides  of  the  way,  testifying  to 
the  poverty  of  the  place,  five  years  after  the  conflagration  ; 
for  although  the  war  had  ceased  during  that  period,  and  the 
enemy  had  departed,  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  rebuild 
them.  In  short,  there  was  silence  and  inactivity  everywhere ; 
and  the  whole  population  was  very  little  over  20,000."  Mr. 
Breck's  chronology  with  regard  to  the  fire  was  several  years 
out  of  the  way,  but  the  matters  which  fell  under  his  own  ob- 
servation were,  without  doubt,  stated  with  substantial  accu- 
racy. 

The  year  1788  saw  a  change  in  the  desolation  which  had 
followed  the  war,  and  in  1789  New  York,  the  Capital  of  the 
United  States,  was  larger  in  size  and  more  prosperous  in 
business  than  ever  before.  It  was  somewhat  irregular  in 
shape,  its  main  portion  being  on  the  east  side  of  the  island. 
The  houses  were  not  built  closely  together,  but  were  scat- 
tering and  surrounded  by  gardens.  From  the  west  side  of 
Broadway  to  the  west  side  of  Greenwich  Street,  which  was 
then  the  street  nearest  to  the  North  River,  the  ground  was 
more  or  less  closely  built  upon  from  the  Bowling  Green  to 
the  south  side  of  what  is  now  Reade  Street.  Beyond  Reade 
Street  the  only  buildings  were  the  Hospital  and  a  few  scat- 
tered houses,  one  of  which,  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  a 
short  distance  below  the  line  of  the  present  Leonard  Street, 
was  a  Congregational  meeting-house.  On  the  east  side  of 
the  island  the  city  extended  somewhat  farther  north,  its 
limit  being  the  south  side  of  Bayard's  Lane,  which  in  1807 
received  its  present  name  of  Broome  Street.  The  south  side 
of  this  street  was  built  upon  from  Mulberry  Street  on  the 
west  to  the  present  Suffolk  Street  on  the  east,  and  a  line 
drawn  from  the  southwest  corner  of  Broome  and  Suffolk 
Streets  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Cherry  and  Pike  Streets 
would  approximately  mark  the  northeasterly  limit  of  the  city 
in  1789.  North  of  the  present  line  of  Reade  Street  no  streets 
were  laid  out  between  the  North  River  and  Mulberry  Street, 
with  the  exception  of  Greenwich  Street  and  Broadway,  and 


General  Description. 


7 


upon  them  there  were  but  few  houses.  Along  the  East 
River,  Front  Street  was  the  street  nearest  to  the  water  from 
Whitehall  Street  to  its  end  at  Burling  Slip,  whence  Water 
Street  extended  along  the  river  as  far  as  the  foot  of  James 
Street.  Beyond  that  point  Cherry  Street  was  nearest  to  the 
river  and  there  were  but  few  buildings  on  its  water  side.  It 
extended  to  about  the  present  Pike  Street,  beyond  which  was 
a  large  swamp,  and  the  country  residence  of  Mr.  Rutgers. 

In  1786  the  population  of  the  city  was  estimated  to  be 
23,614,  and  the  number  of  houses  3,340.  According  to  the 
census  of  1790  the  population  of  the  city  and  county  was 
8,500  white  males,  over  sixteen  years  of  age ;  5,907  males 
under  sixteen  ;  1 5,254  white  females ;  1 101  other  free  persons  ; 
2,369  slaves ;  total,  33,131  inhabitants.  This,  however,  in- 
cluded Harlem,  which,  properly  speaking,  was  not  a  part  of 
the  city.  Another  calculation,  printed  in  the  newspapers, 
made  the  number  of  inhabitants  30,022,  classified  as  Free- 
holders of  £100,  1209;  Freeholders  of  £20,  1221 ;  Tenants  of 
40s.,  2661;  Freemen,  93;  Males,  13330;  Females,  14,429; 
Slaves,  2263.  This  calculation  practically  omitted  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Harlem  and  probably  was  a  tolerably  accurate  enu- 
meration of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  itself  in  1790.  In  1789 
the  number  of  inhabitants  of  the  city  proper  might  be  placed 
at  29,000  and  the  number  of  the  houses  at  4,200,  the  city  di- 
rectory, published  on  the  4th  of  July  1789  by  Hodge,  Allen 
and  Campbell,  containing  the  names  of  about  4100  house- 
holders. Among  the  buildings  were  a  number  of  the  old 
Dutch  houses  with  lofty  peaked  roofs  and  their  gable  ends  to 
the  street,  but  the  prevailing  style  of  architecture  was  English. 
Noah  Webster,  in  an  article  which  appeared  in  the  American 
Magazine  in  March  1788,  writes  that  the  houses  were  for  the 
most  part  built  of  brick  with  tiled  roofs,  but  the  advertise- 
ment of  the  Mutual  Assurance  Co.  in  1789  states  that  they 
were  chiefly  framed  buildings  with  brick  fronts,  which  Avas 
probably  the  case,  although  in  1761  the  legislature  had  enacted 
that  none  other  than  stone  or  brick  houses  should  be  erected 
south  of  about  the  present  Duane  St.  after  the  1st  of  January 
1766.    The  time  was  afterwards  extended  to  January  1st  1774, 


8 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


but  on  the  2nd  of  May  in  that  year  nearly  3000  citizens  peti- 
tioned for  the  repeal  of  the  act,  and,  although  their  petition 
was  not  granted,  the  act  was  probably  not  strictly  enforced. 
The  streets  were  many  of  them  narrow  and  crooked,  Water 
and  Queen  (Pearl)  being  in  some  places  too  cramped  to  allow 
the  building  of  sidewalks.  On  the  2 1st  of  March  1787,  how- 
ever, the  Legislature  had  authorized  the  Common  Council  to 
lay  out  new  streets  and  to  improve  those  already  existing,  and 
in  1788  improvements  were  begun.  The  act  provided  that 
streets  already  laid  out  should  not  be  made  wider  than  four 
rods  nor  narrower  than  two  rods,  and  that  the  Kingsbridge 
Road  should  not  be  made  narrower  than  it  was  at  that  time, 
nor  in  any  part  less  than  four  rods  wide.  In  all  cases  of  per- 
sons  meeting  on  the  highway,  those  going  out  of  'the  city 
northward  were  to  make  road  for  those  coming  in  southward 
under  a  penalty  of  forty  shillings  fine  for  each  failure  to  do  so. 
In  August  1784  the  Common  Council  had  also  expressed  its 
determination  to  strictly  enforce  the  city  ordinances  with  re- 
gard to  the  care  of  the  streets,  but  in  May  1788  the  Grand 
Jury  reported  them  to  be  dirty  and  many  of  them  impassable, 
and  an  ordinance  published  in  April  1789  added  several  new 
requirements  in  this  regard.  The  footpath  on  each  side  of  the 
street  was  to  be  one-fifth  the  width  of  the  street,  paved  with 
brick  or  flat  stone,  and  curbed  ;  the  other  three-fifths  were  to 
be  a  cartway,  properly  arched,  and  to  be  paved  and  kept  in  re- 
pair by  the  householders  under  a  penalty  of  forty  shillings 
fine.  Driving,  sawing  wood,  and  leaving  coal  on  the  side- 
walk, or  otherwise  obstructing  it,  were  strictly  forbidden  ;  no 
posts  were  to  be  erected  except  at  the  intersection  of  streets, 
and  a  penalty  of  £5  was  attached  to  the  offence  of  planting 
trees  south  of  the  Fresh  Water  and  of  Catherine  St.  except 
in  front  of  churches  and  other  public  buildings.  Another  im- 
portant provision  of  this  ordinance  was  that  on  every  Friday 
between  the  first  day  of  March  and  the  first  day  of  December 
each  householder  should  cause  the  dirt  from  his  yard,  cellar, 
and  the  street  in  front  of  his  premises  to  be  gathered  near  the 
gutter  before  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  have  it  removed 
before  twelve  o'clock  the  next  day  under  a  penalty  of  five 


General  Description. 


9 


shillings  fine.  The  enforcement  of  this  ordinance  was  en- 
trusted  to  James  Culbertson,  the  high  constable,  and  that 
worthy  published  a  card  in  the  newspapers  stating  that  he 
should  perform  his  duty  without  respect  of  persons.  But  his 
efforts  do  not  seem  to  have  been  altogether  successful,  for,  in 
the  Daily  Advertiser  of  December  19th  1789,  there  appeared 
a  call  to  the  high  constable,  the  echoes  of  which  are  still  to 
be  heard  :  "AWAKE  THOU  SLEEPER,  let  us  have  clean  streets 
in  this  our  peaceful  seat  of  the  happiest  empire  in  the  uni- 
verse. That  so  our  national  rulers  and  their  supporters  may 
with  convenience  and  decency  celebrate  a  merry  Christmas 
and  a  happy  New  Year."  The  sanatory  arrangements  of  the 
houses  had  evoked  the  highest  praise  from  Brissot  de  War- 
ville,  a  young  Frenchman  who  had  visited  the  city  in  1788, 
but  the  sewerage  system  of  the  city  was  extremely  primitive. 
It  consisted  of  the  negro  slaves,  a  long  line  of  whom  might  be 
seen  late  at  night  wending  their  way  to  the  river,  each  with  a 
tub  on  his  head.  Street  lamps  had  been  introduced  in  1762 
but  the  lighting  of  them  was  regulated  by  the  moon,  and  there 
were  frequent  complaints  of  the  darkness  of  the  streets  at 
night.  On  the  3rd  of  December  1788  a  standing  committee 
of  the  Common  Council  was  appointed  to  attend  to  the  erec- 
tion of  new  street  lamps  and  to  put  them  on  the  houses  in- 
stead of  on  posts,  wherever  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  but  the 
committee  does  not  seem  to  have  been  able  to  keep  the  lamps 
lighted,  as,  on  the  31st  of  the  same  month,  the  firemen  pre- 
sented a  complaint  that  their  work  at  a  recent  fire  at  one 
o'clock  at  night  had  been  greatly  impeded  by  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  lamps  had  gone  out.  The  matter  was  referred  to 
the  committee,  but  again  in  1789  an  unfortunate  citizen  in- 
formed the  public  that  in  coming  home  one  stormy  night  in 
June  he  had  run  into  a  pump  in  Nassau  Street  not  a  hundred 
perches  from  the  Mayor's  house  and  had  received  a  severe  con- 
tusion on  his  head,  there  being  not  alighted  lamp  nor  a  watch- 
man in  sight.  During  the  year  1789  Abraham  Van  Gelder 
received  about  £33  a  month  for  the  lighting  and  cleaning  of 
the  lamps,  the  pound  being  worth  about  two  and  one  half 
dollars  of  the  present  money.    Mr.  Van  Gelder  died  in  Jan- 


10 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


uary  181 5  aged  81  years.  The  most  elevated  street  in  the 
city  was  Broadway,  which  had  received  that  name  about  the 
year  1674,  extending  from  the  Bowling  Green  to  St.  Paul's 
Chapel,  above  which  it  was  called  Great  George  Street.  Its 
original  course  above  St.  Paul's  Chapel  had  been  along  the 
present  Park  Row  and  Chatham  Street  to  the  Bowery,  and  in 
1789  the  portion  of  it  called  Great  George  Street  extended 
only  to  the  present  Broome  Street  and  was  very  sparsely  built 
upon.  One  of  the  most  northerly  buildings  upon  it  was  the 
house  of  David  M.  Clarkson  which  stood  on  the  east  side  of 
the  street  about  the  middle  of  the  present  block  between 
Leonard  and  Franklin  Streets.  It  was  a  two-story  house 
about  thirty  feet  wide  surrounded  by  a  large  garden,  the 
property  having  a  frontage  of  about  160  feet  on  Great  George 
Street  and  a  depth  of  about  380  feet.  On  the  west  side  of 
the  street  a  short  distance  below  the  present  Leonard  Street 
was  a  building  which  in  November  1789  was  first  occupied  as 
a  Congregational  church,  and  below  this,  on  a  plot  of  ground 
440  feet  by  455  feet,  afterwards  bounded  by  Broadway,  An- 
thony, Church,  and  Duane  Streets,  stood  the  Hospital.  The 
erection  of  this  building  had  been  begun  on  the  27th  of  July 
1773,  the  basement  walls  being  of  brown  stone  and  the  upper 
portion  of  blue  stone,  but  it  had  no  sooner  been  completed 
than  the  interior  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  28th  of  Febru- 
ary 1775  at  a  loss  of  £jooo,  and  although  immediately  rebuilt, 
it  had  never  served  its  original  purpose.  The  Provincial  Con- 
gress ordered  it  to  be  used  as  a  barracks  in  April  1776  and  the 
British  afterwards  used  it  for  the  same  purpose.  The  Govern- 
ors of  the  Hospital,  twenty-six  in  number,  held  a  charter 
granted  June  13th  1 77 1 ,  but  during  the  Revolution  they  had 
merely  held  elections  of  officers,  and  lack  of  funds  prevented 
the  opening  of  the  building  as  a  hospital  until  the  3rd  of  Janu- 
ary 1 791  when  eighteen  patients  were  admitted,  the  Legisla- 
ture, on  the  1st  of  March  1788,  having  granted  to  the  Govern- 
ors ;£8oo  annually  for  four  years  out  of  the  excise  revenue  of 
the  city.  In  1788  a  part  of  the  building  was  used  as  a  dissect- 
ing room  and  on  the  13th  of  April  in  that  year  it  had  been 
stormed  and  dismantled  by  the  mob  in  the  "  Doctors'  Riot ;  " 


General  Description. 


1 1 


but  in  1789  it  was  apparently  entirely  unoccupied  and  in  June 
was  offered  as  a  temporary  place  of  meeting  for  the  Legislature 
or  the  Courts.  The  officers  of  the  Board  of  Governors  of  the 
Hospital  in  1789  were  Richard  Morris,  president,  Isaac  Roose- 
velt, vice-president,  Henry  Haydock,  treasurer,  and  John 
Keese,  secretary.  The  old  building  ceased  to  be  used  for 
hospital  purposes  in  February  1870. 

Below  the  Hospital,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  the  present 
Duane  Street  and  Broadway  stood  an  old  brewery,  and  farther 
south  on  the  east  side  of  Great  George  Street  opposite  what 
was  then  the  end  of  Reade  Street  was  the  old  Negroes' 
Burying-Ground,  occupying  about  400  feet  on  Great  George 
Street  with  a  depth  of  about  600  feet.  The  next  place  of  im- 
portance was  that  known  before  the  Revolution  as  Mon- 
tagnie's  Garden,  No.  317  Great  George  Street,  situated  on 
the  west  side  of  that  street  near  the  north  corner  of  Murray 
Street.  In  the  stirring  times  before  the  Revolution  it  had 
been  the  headquarters  of  the  Liberty  Boys  and  the  scene  of 
conflict  between  them  and  the  British  soldiery,  and  after  Mr. 
Montagnie's  death  had  been  kept  by  his  widow.  In  June 
1785  an  advertisement  appeared  stating  that  Henry  Kennedy 
had  taken  "  the  well  known  Mead  House,  the  sign  of  the  Two 
Friendly  Brothers,  late  occupied  by  Mrs.  Montanye  "  with 
gardens  attached,  but  in  February  1786  it  was  again  advertised 
to  be  let,  and  in  1789  it  was  apparently  kept  by  Jacob  de  la 
Montagnie. 

Among  the  few  residents  on  Great  George  Street  in  1789 
were  at  No.  1,  on  the  present  site  of  the  Astor  House,  Walter 
Rutherford ;  No.  2,  Lewis  Scott,  State  Secretary ;  No.  3, 
William  Warner,  livery  stable;  No.  5,  Miss  Moore;  No.  6, 
Charles  Warner,  coach-maker,  and  James  Warner,  harness- 
maker.  Number  8  was  at  the  corner  of  Robinson  Street 
(Park  Place),  and  near  Murray  Street  was  John  Walker's 
ball-court;  John  Leonard  lived  at  No.  36;  John  Nourse  at 
No.  42  ;  and  No.  43  was  the  residence  of  Lewis  Nichols,  cab- 
inet-maker. Number  1  Great  George  Street  had  been  built 
before  the  Revolution  by  Major  Walter  Rutherford,  a  Brit- 
ish army  officer,  who  occupied  it  for  many  years  ;  and  No. 


12 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


2  had  been  confiscated  from  Colonel  Axtell,  also  of  the 
British  army,  and  by  Act  of  March  29th  1784  appropriated  to 
the  use  of  the  State  Secretary  who  occupied  it  until  the  re- 
moval of  the  State  Government  to  Albany  in  1797.  To  the 
west  of  Great  George  Street,  above  Reade  Street,  there  were 
few  buildings  east  of  Greenwich  Street.  Church  Street  ran, 
as  a  lane,  about  to  the  present  Anthony  Street,  and  there 
ended.  No  other  streets  were  laid  out  between  it  and  Green- 
wich Street,  the  land  being  largely  a  swamp. 

To  the  east  of  Great  George  Street  and  approximately 
bounded  on  the  west  by  the  present  Centre  Street,  on  the 
south  by  Duane  Street,  and  on  the  north  and  east  by  Pearl 
Street,  was  a  small  pond  which  connected  on  the  north  with 
the  Collect  or  Fresh  W ater  Pond,  the  latter  occupying  the  space 
now  approximately  bounded  by  Franklin,  Elm,  Worth,  and 
Baxter  Streets,  including  the  site  of  the  Tombs  or,  more  prop- 
erly speaking,  the  Halls  of  Justice.  North  of  the  Collect 
were  swamps  and  bogs  through  which  its  outlet  ran  north- 
west to  the  present  crossing  of  Broadway  and  Canal  Street, 
where  it  was  spanned  by  a  bridge,  and  thence  flowed  nearly 
along  the  present  line  of  Canal  Street  into  the  North  River. 
Between  the  two  ponds,  on  what  was  once  a  small  island, 
stood  a  powder-house  which  in  June  1788  was  leased  for  three 
years  at  an  annual  rent  of  ^42,  and  which  disappeared  by  the 
summer  of  1791.  In  winter  the  Collect  was  used  as  a  skating- 
pond,  and  one  of  the  uses  to  which  it  was  put  in  summer 
appears  from  a  complaint  published  in  the  New  York  Packet 
of  August  19th  1784  that,  in  that  warm  and  dry  season,  a 
great  number  of  people  assembled  around  the  pond  whence 
the  tea-water  was  drawn  and  washed  their  dirty  linen  therein. 
Before  the  Revolution  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  introduce 
a  system  of  waterworks,  and  in  1776  a  reservoir  had  been 
completed  by  Christopher  Colles  from  which  the  water  was  to 
be  distributed  through  wooden  pipes.  It  was  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  Broadway  between  the  present  Pearl  and  White 
Streets  and  the  water  was  to  be  pumped  into  it  from  wells, 
but  the  Revolution  put  an  end  to  the  scheme.  On  January 
29th  1788  a  petition  to  the  Common  Council  appeared  in  the 


General  Description. 


13 


New  York  Packet  praying  that  the  houses  might  be  supplied 
with  water  through  pipes,  provided  that  the  average  tax  for 
that  purpose  should  not  exceed  26  shillings  for  each  house. 
According  to  this  plan  the  annual  expense  was  to  be  £4160, 
to  be  raised  by  a  tax  of  40s.  on  1000  houses,  26s.  on  1000 
more,  and  10s.  2d.  upon  1200  more,  the  total  number  of 
houses  to  be  furnished  with  water  being  estimated  at  three 
thousand  two  hundred.  And  again  on  the  30th  of  January 
1789,  the  Mayor  presented  to  the  Common  Council  a  letter 
which  he  had  received  from  the  Rumseian  Society  of  Phila- 
delphia stating  that  Mr.  Rumsey  had  invented  an  engine  far 
superior  to  any  other  for  supplying  towns  with  water,  that  he 
had  applied  to  the  Legislature  for  the  exclusive  right  to  put 
such  engines  in  operation,  and  that  the  Corporation  would  do 
well  to  make  immediate  arrangements  for  the  use  of  the 
engine  or  to  complete  the  contract  for  it  during  the  following 
summer.  The  state  of  the  city  finances,  however,  forbade 
such  an  investment,  and  for  a  number  of  years  the  greater  part 
of  the  city  water  continued  to  be  supplied  by  the  Tea  Water 
Pump,  which  stood  in  Chatham  Street  a  little  to  the  north- 
east of  the  end  of  Queen  (Pearl)  Street.  The  water  was 
carried  around  the  city  by  "  tea-water  men  "  in  carts  built  for 
that  purpose,  the  price  being  3d.  a  hogshead  of  130  gallons  at 
the  pump.  The  well  in  which  this  pump  stood  was  fed  from 
the  Collect,  and  was  about  twenty  feet  deep  and  four  feet  in 
diameter,  the  average  quantity  of  water  drawn  from  it  daily 
being  about  no  hogsheads.  In  hot  weather  as  many  as  216 
hogsheads  were  drawn  in  a  day,  and  it  is  said  that  there  were 
never  more  nor  less  than  three  feet  of  water  in  the  well. 
The  Collect  having  been  granted  to  Anthony  Rutgers  in  1733, 
the  city  purchased  his  heirs'  interest  in  it  for  ,£150  in  1791, 
and,  after  becoming  an  unmitigated  nuisance,  it  was  filled  up 
between  the  years  1800  and  18 10. 

The  Park,  which  had  been  enclosed  with  a  wooden  fence 
in  1785,  extended  in  triangular  shape  from  Vesey  to  Murray 
Street,  and  north  of  it,  about  on  the  northerly  line  of  Murray 
Street,  stood  the  Bridewell,  Almshouse,  and  Jail,  in  a  row 
facing  south.    The  Bridewell,  or  criminal  prison,  which  stood 


14 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


nearest  to  Great  George  Street,  was  erected  in  1775,  accord- 
ing to  plans  furnished  by  Theophilus  Hardenbrook,  and  had 
been  paid  for  by  a  lottery  in  which  the  city  bought  a  thou- 
sand tickets.  It  was  a  long  two-story  building  constructed  of 
gray  stone,  the  keeper  and  his  assistants  occupying  the  first 
floor,  and  the  second  floor  being  divided  into  two  wards,  one 
of  which,  for  the  keeping  of  less  desperate  criminals,  was  called 
the  Upper  Hall  and  the  other  the  Chain  Room.  During  the 
Revolution  the  British  had  used  the  building  as  a  prison,  and 
its  use  as  such  was  continued  until  1838  when  it  was  torn 
down  and  some  of  the  stones  were  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  present  Tombs.  To  the  east  of  the  Bridewell,  about  on 
the  site  of  the  present  City  Hall  was  the  Almshouse,  a  two- 
story  gray  stone  building,  fifty-six  feet  in  front  by  twenty- 
four  feet  deep,  erected  in  1736,  at  an  expense  of  £122  10s. 
and  demolished  in  1797.  These  institutions  were  under  the 
care  of  thirteen  commissioners  whose  proceedings  were  inves- 
tigated annually  by  the  Common  Council  and  apparently  re- 
quired some  supervision,  as  in  May  1788,  a  committee  of  the 
Common  Council,  appointed  to  investigate  a  charge  that  the 
Commissioners  had  furnished  bad  butter  and  flour,  found  that 
the  statement  was  true.  This,  however,  was  said  to  have 
happened  accidentally;  but  in  February  1790,  Willett  Sea- 
man, one  of  the  commissioners,  was  ordered  to  take  back  a 
quantity  of  poor  shoes  which  he  had  furnished  to  the  Alms- 
house and  to  refund  the  money  which  had  been  paid  for 
them.  The  expenses  of  the  Almshouse  during  the  year 
amounted  to  about  £3700  or  $9250,  those  of  the  Bridewell 
being  considerably  less.  The  vagrants  confined  in  the  latter 
were  employed  in  August  in  cleaning  out  the  drains  beneath 
the  Exchange  and  the  Fly  Market,  the  Common  Council 
having  petitioned  in  October  1788  for  the  enactment  of  a 
law  providing  for  hard  labor  by  vagrants  both  within  and 
without  doors.  Beyond  the  Almshouse  stood  the  Jail,  or 
debtor's  prison,  a  rough  stone  building  three  stories  high,  sur- 
mounted by  a  large  cupola  containing  a  bell.  A  corridor  ran 
through  the  middle  of  the  building,  and  one  side  of  the  sec- 
ond floor  was  used  as  a  chapel.    In  1830,  the  Common  Coun- 


General  Description. 


15 


cil  decided  to  reconstruct  this  building  for  the  use  of  the  Reg- 
ister of  Deeds,  and  the  cupola  and  top  floor  were  re- 
moved, the  exterior  stuccoed,  and  the  present  porticoes  put 
up,  the  changes  being  completed  in  1832  when  the  building 
was  occupied  by  the  offices  of  the  Surrogate,  Register,  Comp- 
troller, and  Street  Commissioners.  The  Register's  Office 
alone  has  occupied  it  since  1870  when  further  changes  were 
made  in  it.  The  practically  endless  imprisonment  of  debtors 
was  greatly  modified  by  an  Act  passed  February  13th  1789 
limiting  imprisonment  for  debts  of  £\o  or  less  to  thirty  days, 
and  that  for  larger  amounts  to  three  months,  provided  that 
the  debtor  would  make  oath  that  he  had  no  property  where- 
with to  pay  his  debts,  but  these  unfortunates  still  led  a  mis- 
erable existence.  On  the  9th  of  April  1788  the  Common 
Council  accepted  an  offer  from  John  Pearsee  the  keeper  of 
the  jail  to  feed  the  prisoners  at  8d.  a  day  each,  but  the 
meagre  fare  which  they  received  from  this  source  was  supple- 
mented by  contributions  of  food  from  the  Society  for  the  re- 
lief of  Distressed  Debtors  which  had  been  founded  January 
26th  1787.  iVccording  to  the  original  plan  this  society  was  to 
consist  of  twenty-four  members  who  were  to  meet  on  the  sec- 
ond Friday  in  every  month  and  to  choose  a  president  at  each 
meeting,  while  the  secretary  and  treasurer  were  to  be  chosen 
annually  and  a  committee  of  three  members  was  to  be  chosen 
to  visit  the  jail  at  stated  times,  one  of  its  members  retiring 
from  office  each  month.  In  1789  the  officers  of  the  society 
were 

President,  Rev.  Dr.  John  Rodgers. 

Vice-president,  Dr.  J  AMES  COGSWELL. 

Treasurer,  Richard  Platt. 
Secretary,  Moses  Rogers. 

Its  charitable  work  seems  to  have  been  very  successful  as 
on  the  nth  of  May  1789  it  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  1500 
pounds  of  fresh  beef  which  it  had  received  from  an  unknown 
person  between  the  17th  of  February  and  the  30th  of  April, 
and  in  December  1789  the  prisoners  returned  thanks  for  a 
contribution  of  fifty  guineas  from  the  President  of  the  United 


*6 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


States.  The  secretary  of  the  society,  however,  published  a 
card  stating  that  the  society  had  not  authorized  the  announce- 
ment of  the  President's  gift,  as  he  had  requested  that  it  should 
be  kept  secret.  On  the  25th  of  October  1789  a  charity  ser- 
mon for  the  benefit  of  the  society  was  also  preached  in  the 
North  Dutch  Church,  probably  by  Dr.  Linn  who  was  one  of 
its  founders. 

Between  the  Jail  and  the  Almshouse  stood  the  Gallows  in 
a  gaudily  painted  Chinese  pagoda  erected  in  1784,  which, 
under  the  barbarous  laws  then  existing,  was  put  to  frequent 
use,  as  by  Acts  passed  in  February  1788  the  penalty  of  death 
was  attached  to  the  crimes  of  treason,  murder,  forgery,  coun- 
terfeiting, rape,  forcible  detaining  of  women,  robbing  a  church, 
housebreaking  by  day  or  night  if  the  house  were  occupied, 
robbery,  wilful  burning  of  any  house  or  barn,  and  malicious 
maiming.  An  Act  of  February  16th  1787  provided  that  no 
person  should  be  taken  or  imprisoned  upon  the  appeal  of  a 
woman,  for  the  death  of  any  other  than  of  her  husband.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1789  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  imposed  ten 
sentences  of  death,  all  for  burglary,  robbery,  and  forgery,  five 
executions  taking  place  on  the  23rd  of  October.  Near  the 
gallows  also  stood  the  whipping-post  and  stocks  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  minor  offences,  the  public  whipper,  Joseph  Shelvey, 
receiving  a  yearly  salary  of  ^25  for  his  services.  By  Act  of 
March  24th  1787  larceny  was  to  be  punished  by  such  corporal 
punishment  as  the  court  might  direct,  but,  if  by  whipping,  not 
to  exceed  thirty-nine  lashes  in  one  day.  In  February  1788, 
the  Justices  of  the  Sessions  were  also  authorized  to  punish 
disorderly  persons  and  vagrants  by  six  months  imprisonment 
and  whipping  at  such  times  as  they  might  consider  proper; 
but  in  February  1789  the  Act  was  modified  by  adding  hard 
labor  to  the  imprisonment,  and  leaving  the  whipping  part  of 
the  punishment  to  the  discretion  of  the  court.  An  example 
of  this  kind  of  punishment  was  given  in  February  1789  when 
George  Talbot  and  Richard  Howard,  for  grand  larceny,  were 
sentenced  to  one  month's  imprisonment  and  to  receive  twenty 
lashes  at  the  cart's  tail  on  three  successive  Mondays,  near  the 
'Exchange,  the  Fly  Market,  and  the  Peck  Slip  Market.  At 


General  Description.  17 

the  same  time  others  were  sentenced  to  39  lashes  for  petit  lar- 
ceny, and  one  month's  imprisonment  and  39  lashes  for  grand 
larceny.  The  penalty  of  death  was  confined  to  the  crimes  of 
treason  and  murder  only  by  Act  of  March  21st  1801  and 
whipping  was  dropped  from  the  punishment  of  larceny  at  the 
same  time. 

In  the  rear  of  these  city  buildings,  upon  the  present  line 
of  Chambers  Street,  were  the  Upper  Barracks  which  had 
been  used  by  the  British.  In  January  1790  the  Common 
Council  ordered  them  to  be  sold  and  removed  by  the  1st  of 
June,  but  they  appear  on  the  map  of  1791. 

Broadway  in  1789  was  of  less  importance  both  as  a  place 
of  business  and  of  residence  than  were  the  streets  to  the  east 
of  it.  It  was  paved  from  the  Bowling  Green  to  Vesey  Street 
but  its  grading  was  probably  very  bad.  The  method  of  regu- 
lating and  paving  the  streets  at  that  time  is  well  illustrated 
by  proceedings  in  the  Common  Council  in  1788  with  regard 
to  this  street.  On  the  9th  of  April  the  clerk  was  ordered  to 
prepare  an  ordinance  for  the  digging  down  and  paving  of 
Broadway,  Verlittenbergh  (Exchange  Place),  and  New  Streets, 
according  to  the  proposed  regulation  of  those  streets  reported 
August  23rd  1786.  On  the  21st  of  May  complaint  was  made 
that  the  arch  of  the  pavement  then  being  laid  descended  too 
much  toward  the  houses,  and  a  surveyor  was  ordered  to  ar- 
range the  matter  satisfactorily  to  the  property  owners.  On 
the  23rd  of  May  he  reported  that  the  arch  of  the  street  was 
six  inches  too  high,  and  would  now  be  lowered  to  eighteen 
inches.  But  later  in  the  year  another  complaint  was  made 
by  Mrs.  McAdam  which  was  referred  to  a  committee  who 
made  a  report  on  the  27th  of  October.  Their  statement  was 
that  the  distance  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  lot  on  the  corner  of  Rector  Street  to  the  south  line 
of  Mrs.  McAdam's  lot  was  255  feet,  and  that  the  descent  was 
4  feet  \  \\  inches,  while  the  distance  from  Mrs.  McAdam's  lot 
to  the  pump  opposite  Mr.  McComb's  house  was  151  feet  and 
the  ascent  1  foot  4  inches.  Upon  this  statement  it  was  re- 
solved that  the  ground  opposite  the  pump  at  Mr.  McComb's 
be  taken  down  six  inches,  and  the  pump  removed ;  that  the 


* 


IS 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


pavement  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  be  taken  up  and  re- 
laid  with  regular  descent  from  the  Lutheran  Church  past  Mr. 
McComb's  door ;  that  the  east  side  of  Broadway  at  Verlitten 
Hill  be  raised  twelve  inches,  and  continued  with  proper 
descent  down  the  same ;  and  that  John  Stagg  should  be  em- 
ployed to  do  the  work  and  should  receive  for  it  £120,  and  the 
necessary  amount  of  sand.  A  motion  was  then  made  that 
John  McComb,  the  city  surveyor  who  then  had  the  work  in 
charge,  be  removed  from  office  for  incapacity,  but  action  upon 
it  was  postponed,  and  he  was  afterwards  promised  a  hearing, 
which  was  apparently  satisfactory  to  the  Common  Council. 
Public  pumps  stood  in  the  middle  of  Broadway  for  many 
years  after  1789,  it  being  the  usual  custom  for  the  house- 
holders to  dig  the  well  and  for  the  city  to  contribute  £\o 
toward  the  building  of  the  pump. 

The  most  noteworthy  buildings  on  Broadway  in  1789 
were  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  the  City  Tavern,  Trinity  Church,  the 
McComb  mansion,  and  the  Kennedy  mansion.  A  description 
of  the  churches  will  be  found  in  another  chapter.  The  City 
Tavern,  a  wooden  building  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of 
the  street,  between  Thames  and  Little  Queen  (Cedar)  Streets 
on  the  site  of  the  present  Boreel  Building,  was  the  prin- 
cipal hostelry  of  the  city,  its  long-room  being  used  for  soci- 
ety dinners,  lectures,  and  various  public  amusements.  In 
December  1789  the  Common  Council  also  made  arrange- 
ments for  its  use  by  the  courts,  as  the  Exchange,  in  which 
they  had  been  held,  was  to  be  used  by  the  Legislature.  The 
building  had  first  been  used  as  a  dwelling  house  but  was 
opened  as  a  tavern  by  Edward  Willet  in  1754,  his  successors 
down  to  the  Revolution  bearing  the  names  of  Crawley,  Burns, 
Bolton,  and  Hull.  During  part  of  the  war  it  was  kept  by 
one  Hicks,  who  was  succeeded  in  1781  by  Charles  Roubalet, 
and  in  October  1783  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Cape, 
who  advertised  it  in  April  1784  under  the  title  of  "  The 
State  Arms  of  New  York  at  No.  18  Broadway."  In  February 
1786  Mr.  Cape,  having  fallen  into  financial  troubles,  ab- 
sconded, and  the  contents  of  the  tavern  having  been  sold  by 
the  sheriff,  it  passed  to  the  management  of  Joseph  Corre,  who 


General  Description. 


19 


advertised  that  private  families  might  advantageously  place 
their  cooks  under  his  instruction.  In  April  1788  Mr.  Corre 
removed  elsewhere,  and  the  City  Tavern  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Edward  Bardin,  an  experienced  innkeeper,  under 
whose  management  it  remained  until  1793  when  the  building 
was  demolished  to  be  replaced  by  the  Tontine  City  Hotel. 

The  McComb  mansion,  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  was 
built  in  1786  by  Alexander  McComb,  as  a  residence,  and  in 
1790  was  occupied  by  Washington  as  a  presidential  mansion, 
its  rent  being  $2500  a  year.  In  later  years  it  became  a  part 
of  Bunker's  Hotel  at  No.  39  Broadway. 

No.  1  Broadway,  known  as  the  Kennedy  mansion  because 
of  its  ownership  by  Capt.  Archibald  Kennedy  of  the  English 
navy,  who  married  into  the  Watts  family,  was  one  of  the  fin- 
est houses  in  the  city,  being  a  spacious  two  story  and  attic 
brick  building  with  the  entrance  in  the  middle  and  two  win- 
dows on  each  side  of  it,  the  frontage  on  Broadway  being  fifty- 
six  feet.  The  block  upon  which  it  stood  escaped  the  fire  of 
1776,  and  during  the  Revolution  this  house  is  said  to  have 
been  occupied  by  a  Mrs.  Loring  as  a  fashionable  boarding- 
house.  After  the  Revolution,  it  is  said  to  have  been  occupied 
for  a  time  by  Isaac  Sears,  a  merchant,  who  was  commonly 
known  as  "  King  Sears  "  from  his  daring  leadership  of  the 
Liberty  Boys.  In  1785,  however,  King  Sears  was  over- 
whelmed with  debt,  and  having  on  the  3rd  of  February  made 
an  assignment  of  his  interest  in  the  assets  of  the  firm  of  Sears 
and  Smith  to  his  partner,  Pascal  N.  Smith,  took  advantage  of 
his  immunity  from  arrest  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  and 
sailed  for  China,  where  he  ended  his  stormy  career  on  the  28th 
of  October  1786.  In  1789,  and  perhaps  before  that  year,  this 
house  was  occupied  by  Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui,  the  Spanish 
Ambassador,  and  in  1790  it  was  occupied  by  Mrs.  Graham's 
fashionable  boarding-school  for  young  ladies.  In  after  years 
it  was  the  residence  of  Nathaniel  Prime,  was  later  turned  into 
the  Washington  Hotel,  and  was  finally  demolished  for  the 
erection  of  the  present  Washington  Building. 

The  Bowling  Green  had  been  enclosed  as  a  park  as  early 
as  1733,  and  near  its  lower  end  stood  in  1789  the  foundation 


20 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


of  the  statue  of  George  III.  erected  in  1770  and  demolished 
at  the  declaration  of  independence.  This  foundation  was  not 
torn  up  until  1818,  and  the  stone  base  of  the  statue,  after  serv- 
ing as  a  gravestone  and  as  a  door  step,  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  together  with  the  tail  of 
the  king's  horse.  In  1789  a  committee  of  the  Common 
Council  was  appointed  to  put  the  Green  in  order  and  to  rent 
it,  and  it  is  said  that  their  duty  also  included  the  removal  of 
the  "  Federal  Ship  Hamilton,"  a  miniature  32  gun  frigate, 
thirty  feet  long  and  ten  feet  wide,  which  had  been  used  in  the 
Federal  Procession  on  the  23rd  of  July  1788,  and  then  depos- 
ited in  the  Green.  The  Bowling  Green  was  oval  in  shape, 
with  the  smaller  end  toward  the  north,  and  was  about  220 
feet  long  by  130  feet  in  its  widest  part.  The  statue  of  George 
III.  stood  about  50  feet  from  its  lower  end,  which  was  on  a  line 
with  the  present  north  side  of  Battery  Place.  Directly  below 
the  Bowling  Green  was  Fort  George,  the  distance  from  the 
lower  end  of  the  Green  to  the  north  line  of  the  enclosure  of 
the  Fort  being  150  feet.  By  an  Act  passed  March  29th  1784 
the  Fort  had  been  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Governor, 
but  in  1788  a  dispute  arose  between  the  State  and  City  au- 
thorities as  to  which  held  title  to  the  premises.  The  At- 
torney General  reported  that  there  was  no  doubt  as  to  the 
State's  title,  and  from  a  survey  of  the  property,  made  in  1788, 
the  following  description  is  made  with  approximate  accuracy 
as  to  distances.  The  Fort  was  a  rectangle  with  large  solid 
five-sided  bastions  at  its  corners,  its  parapet  consisting  of  a 
wall  of  masonry  from  eight  to  ten  feet  thick,  banked  with 
a  mound  of  earth  about  fifteen  feet  thick  on  its  easterly  and 
southerly  sides  and  of  about  twice  that  thickness  on  the 
westerly  side,  the  distance  of  which  from  the  water's  edge  was 
about  200  feet.  The  curtains  of  the  Fort  were  about  140  feet 
in  length  on  the  east  side,  and  about  145  feet  on  its  southerly 
and  westerly  sides.  The  bastion  at  its  northwest  corner  was 
complete,  but  the  left  face  of  its  northeast  bastion  was  but 
half  finished  and  its  left  flank  was  entirely  wanting.  The 
distance  between  the  flanked  angles  of  the  bastions  was  305 
feet  on  the  east  side  of  the  fort,  340  feet  on  its  south  side,  and 


General  Description. 


21 


320  feet  on  its  west  side.  The  side  toward  the  Bowling 
Green  was  not  fortified.  Inside  of  the  Fort,  close  to  its  west- 
erly wall,  was  a  barracks  100  feet  long  by  20  feet  deep  ;  near 
what  should  have  been  the  left  shoulder  angle  of  its  northeast 
bastion  was  a  small  stable  ;  and  just  outside  of  the  right  face 
of  its  northwest  bastion  was  a  larger  stable.  On  the  corner 
of  Whitehall  Street  and  the  present  Bowling  Green,  was  the 
old  office  of  the  Colonial  Secretary,  a  building  55  long  by  30 
feet  deep,  which  faced  on  Whitehall  Street.  Entrance  was 
apparently  made  to  the  Fort  through  a  passage  along  the 
southerly  end  of  this  building  leading  into  the  incompleted 
left  face  of  the  northeast  bastion.  On  the  easterly  and  south- 
erly sides  of  the  Fort  were  large  gardens.  The  whole  struct- 
ure in  1789  was  in  a  state  of  dilapidation  and  decay,  and  was 
worthless  for  purposes  of  defence,  if  it  had  ever  possessed  any 
such  value.  What  had  once  been  an  earthwork,  and  still  con- 
tained guns,  was  known  as  the  Battery  and  extended  from 
what  was  known  as  Eld's  corner,  on  the  south  line  of  Battery 
Place,  along  the  water's  edge  to  Whitehall  Slip,  there  being 
three  bastions  in  that  distance  of  about  1450  feet.  On  the 
10th  of  June  1789  the  Common  Council  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  confer  with  the  Assemblymen  from  the  city  as  to  the 
best  means  of  obtaining  for  the  city's  use  the  lands  at  the 
Fort,  Battery,  and  Nutten  (Governor's)  Island,  which  were 
then  controlled  by  the  State.  The  result  of  this  conference 
was  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  by  the  Legislature,  in  July 
1789,  that  the  ground  upon  which  the  Fort  stood  should  be 
reserved  for  public  use,  and  that  a  house  for  the  use  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  should  be  erected  upon  part 
of  it,  the  necessary  provision  for  such  a  building  to  be  made 
at  its  next  session.  It  also  requested  the  Governor  to  direct 
that  Broadway  should  be  continued  through  the  Fort,  so 
much  of  that  building  as  obstructed,  to  be  removed  at  state 
expense.  In  accordance  with  this  resolution  the  Governor 
and  the  Common  Council  viewed  the  ground  on  the  30th  of 
July  1789,  and  the  Governor  proposed  to  remove,  at  state  ex- 
pense, so  much  of  the  Fort  as  obstructed  the  line  of  Broadway 
to  the  river,  and  that  the  city  should  erect  bulkheads  "  from 


22 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Eid's  corner  to  the  Flat  Rock  "  to  receive  the  dirt  from  the 
Fort  and  thus  enlarge  the  area  of  the  Battery.  The  Common 
Council  at  once  agreed  to  this  and,  on  the  12th  of  August, 
decided  that  a  bulkhead  should  be  immediately  built  from 
Kennedy's  Wharf,  which  was  apparently  near  Eld's  corner,  to 
the  northwest  bastion  of  the  Battery,  a  distance  of  about  210 
feet.  The  work  was  done  by  Elias  Burger,  jr.,  for  ^"378  or 
$946,  and  seems  to  have  proceeded  quite  rapidly  as,  in  No- 
vember, the  newspapers  announced  that  half  of  it  had  been 
completed,  and  that  it  was  hoped  that  in  the  Spring  a  beauti- 
ful circuitous  street  would  be  completed  around  three-quarters 
of  New  York  by  way  of  Greenwich  Street  to  Whitehall,  and 
thence  along  the  East  River  on  the  Albany  Pier. 

The  whole  plot  of  ground  included  in  the  premises  belong- 
ing to  the  Fort  extended  from  the  north  corner  of  the  Secre- 
tary's Office  southerly  395  feet  along  the  west  side  of  White- 
hall Street  to  the  lower  end  of  a  small  building  at  the  corner 
of  the  land  of  Capt.  Thomas  Randall,  thence  nearly  due  west 
about  425  feet  to  a  point  which  had  formerly  been  the  shore 
line,  and  thence  northerly  about  400  feet  to  Eld's  corner  on 
the  south  line  of  the  present  Battery  Place,  and  along  it  430 
feet  to  Whitehall  Street.  By  an  Act  passed  on  the  16th  of 
March  1790  the  portion  retained  by  the  State  was  defined  as 
extending  the  whole  length  on  Whitehall  Street,  and  about 
192  feet  from  the  corner  of  that  street  along  Battery  Place, 
its  westerly  boundary  being  a  line  about  360  feet  long  which 
terminated  nearly  at  the  flanked  angle  of  the  southwest  bas- 
tion of  the  Fort,  whence  its  southerly  line  ran  nearly  due  east 
'  to  Whitehall  Street.  This  portion  included  the  whole  of  the 
Fort,  with  the  exception  of  its  northwest  bastion  and  a  por- 
tion of  its  western  parapet ;  all  the  remaining  land  at  the 
Battery  belonging  to  the  State  was,  by  the  same  Act,  vested 
in  the  City  Corporation  to  be  used  for  buildings  and  purposes 
of  defence  only. 

The  plan  of  erecting  the  President's  House  on  the  site  of 
the  Fort  met  with  some  opposition  on  the  ground  that  it 
might  easily  be  destroyed  by  the  guns  of  some  adventurous 
cruiser.    A  complainant  in  the  New  York  Journal  of  August 


General  Description. 


23 


6th  1789  stated  that  the  site  was  poor  on  account  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  that  "  this  valuable  property  should  stand  alone 
in  some  spacious  square  with  gardens  and  court  annexed,  on 
account  of  magnificence,  beauty,  salubrity  and  safety."  He 
suggested  as  a  proper  site  the  Spring  Garden,  Rutgers  farm, 
or  what  was  formerly  Delancy's.  These  objections,  however, 
were  not  heeded  and  the  construction  of  the  new  building, 
on  the  site  of  the  six  brick  buildings  now  occupied  by  steam- 
ship offices  facing  the  lower  end  of  the  Bowling  Green,  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  three  commissioners,  John  Watts, 
Richard  Varick,  and  Gerard  Bancker,  its  first  stone  being  laid 
on  the  2 1  st  of  May  1790.  The  State  granted  ;£8ooo  for  its 
construction,  but  it  was  never  occupied  by  the  President,  as 
the  seat  of  the  National  Government  was  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia before  its  completion  ;  but  the  Governor  occupied  it 
for  some  years  and  it  was  afterwards  used  as  the  custom-house. 
In  levelling  the  ground  at  the  Fort  several  old  relics  were  un- 
earthed, including  Dutch  tobacco-pipes  of  rude  workmanship, 
the  remains  of  a  brass-hilted  sword,  and  a  few  coins,  one  of 
which  bore  the  date  1605.  In  removing  the  earth  where  the 
old  Dutch  chapel  had  stood,  a  number  of  bones  were  dug  up 
and  three  burial  vaults  were  discovered,  in  the  first  of  which 
was  found  the  coffin-plate  of  Lady  Elizabeth  Hays,  wife  of 
Governor  Hunter,  who  died  August  8th  17 16.  The  second 
vault  contained  pieces  of  four  or  five  coffins,  one  of  which 
made  of  lead,  bore  the  escutcheon  of  the  Coote  family  of  Ire- 
land and  was  identified  as  that  of  Lord  Bellamont  who  died 
in  1 70 1  ;  the  third  vault  contained  but  a  few  bones.  A  square 
stone  was  also  found  in  the  foundations  of  the  Fort  among 
the  ruins  of  the  old  chapel,  bearing  the  inscription  in  Dutch, 
"  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1642,  William  Kieft,  Director-Gen- 
eral, caused  the  Congregation  to  build  this  Church."  This 
stone  was  preserved  in  the  Garden  Street  Dutch  Church 
until  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1835. 

Below  the  Fort  property  was  a  plot  of  ground  extending 
along  Whitehall  Street  about  125  feet  to  the  corner  of  Pearl 
Street  which  ran  one  block  west  of  Whitehall  Street  to  the 
water's  edge.    Below  it  was  another  block  of  about  200  feet 


24 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


on  Whitehall  Street,  the  lower  boundary  of  which  was  called 
Copsie  Street,  which  ran  one  block  west  of  Whitehall  Street, 
and  marked  the  original  shore  line.  On  its  south  side  were 
the  Lower  Barracks,  which  in  1789  were  apparently  used  as 
dwelling  houses,  the  building  being  about  210  feet  long  by  25 
feet  deep,  with  an  ell  about  70  feet  long  at  its  west  end.  The 
space  of  about  240  feet  from  the  front  of  these  Barracks  to  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  island  was  apparently  unoccupied, 
with  the  exception  of  one  small  house  on  the  west  side  of 
Whitehall  Street. 

The  houses  on  Broadway  were  not  numbered  by  any  regu- 
lar system  and  the  street  numbers  in  1789  can  be  used  in  few 
instances  for  the  present  identification  of  the  sites  of  build- 
ings. Thus,  No.  33  was  at  one  of  the  corners  of  Cortlandt 
Street ;  No.  29  was  near  Maiden  Lane  and  No.  58  was  nearly 
opposite  to  it ;  No.  62  was  at  the  corner  of  Liberty  Street ; 
No.  76  was  nearly  opposite  the  City  Tavern  which  was  be- 
tween the  present  numbers  113  and  121;  and  No.  85  was 
nearly  opposite  to  Trinity  Church.  Odd  and  even  numbers 
were  given  to  houses  without  regard  to  the  side  of  the  street 
upon  which  they  stood,  and  in  some  cases  two  houses  bore  the 
same  number.  The  first  systematic  numbering  of  the  houses 
was  proposed  in  1790.  Many  of  the  citizens  changed  their 
residence  during  the  year,  but  from  the  City  Directory  for 
1789  and  from  newspaper  advertisements  in  that  year,  all  the 
inhabitants  upon  Broadway  and  the  number  of  their  houses 
at  that  time  appear  to  have  been  as  follows  : 

No.  No. 

1.  Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui.  II.  Elizabeth  B.  Hatter. 

2.  John  King,  shoemaker.  Benjamin  Groves. 

3.  Robert  R.  Livingston,  12.  Mrs.  Ball,  dry  nurse. 


chancellor. 


Derril  Mack,  shoemaker. 


4. 

5.  Mrs.  Cortlandt. 

6.  Mrs.  McAdam.  Mrs.  White. 
7- 

8.  Henry  White. 

9.  Garret  Heyer,  shoemaker. 
10.  Gen.  Maunsel. 


Mrs.  MontcrierT,  school. 
13.  Widow  Ingram. 


Henry  King,  carpenter. 
14.  —  Battow,  upholsterer. 


Abraham  Benzaken,  tailor. 

15.  Hercules  Wendover,  tavern. 

16.  Widow  Barham,  porterhouse. 


General  Description, 


25 


No. 

Dinah  Clark,  washerwoman. 
17.  George  Walker,  cake  shop. 
18. 

19.  Richard  Anderson,  grocer. 
John  Wickman,  attorney. 

20.  Philip  Jacobs,  shopkeeper. 

21.  Henry  Whiteman,  shopkeeper. 

22.  Widow  Bailey,  boarding-house. 

23.  William  Allen,  gunsmith. 
24. 

25.  Nicholas  Bogart. 
Samuel  B.  Webb. 

26.  Cornelius  Bogart. 

27.  John  Amory,  whipmaker. 
Hayman  Solomon,  shopkeeper. 

28.  Nicholas  Bogart,  shopkeeper. 
Peter  Jay  Munro,  attorney. 

29.  Ebenezer  Hazard,  postmaster- 

general. 

30.  Daniel  McLaren,  shopkeeper. 
John  Stoutenburgh,  merchant. 

31.  Frederick  Ransier,  cooper, 

32.  John  Bogart,  ironmonger. 
John  Miller,  hairdresser. 
Thomas  Mullet,  merchant. 

33.  Jacobus  Bogart,  baker. 
James  Bond,  blacksmith. 
Pascal  N.  Smith,  merchant. 

34.  Samuel  Jones,  attorney. 
Jacob  Resler,  chandler. 

35.  Frederick  Heerman,  druggist. 
Leonard  Rogers,  breeches- 
maker. 

36.  John  Fawpel,  peruke-maker. 
Henry  Frederick,  breeches- 
maker. 

John  Hoffman,  dry  goods. 

37.  John  Pierce,  shopkeeper. 
William  Ross,  harness-maker. 

38.  John  Jones,  dry  goods  store. 
John  Mills,  shoemaker. 

39.  Sylvester  Buskirk,  tinware. 
Thomas  Lefoy,  hatter. 
Cato  Railmore,  fruit  shop. 


No. 

40.  J.  W.  Gilbert,  storekeeper. 
Frederick  Merchant,  shoe- 
maker. 

William  Parker,  tailor. 

41.  John  King,  shoemaker. 

42.  Sigismund  Hugget,  grocer. 

43.  James  Hallett,  coachmaker. 

44.  John  McKesson,  clerk  of 

Supreme  Court. 

45.  Blaise  Moore,  tobacconist. 

46.  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore. 

47.  Robert  Dodds,  silk-dyer. 

48.  John  Houseman,  shopkeeper. 

49.  John  Glover,  dry  goods  store. 

50.  Peter  Ritter,  ironware  and 

jewelry. 

52.  William  Deane,  coachmaker. 

53.  Benjamin  Haight,  saddler. 

54.  McLeod  &  Masterson,  shop. 
55- 

56.  Widow  Colley,  boarding-house. 
John  Dover,  storekeeper. 
David  Cation,  storekeeper. 

57.  David  Coutant,  chairmaker. 
Theodorus  J.  Hamilton,  grocer. 
Henry  Roome,  storekeeper. 

58.  Jacob  Morton,  attorney. 

59.  James  Kipp,  brass  founder. 

60.  Mrs.  Bowie,  shopkeeper. 
Anthony  Latour,  bajber. 
Widow  McKinley. 

61.  John  B.  Dash,  jr.,  hardware. 

62.  Sebastian  Bauman,  grocer  and 

postmaster. 

63.  Christopher  Beekman. 

Mrs.  Sebring,  boarding-house. 

64.  Alexander  Hamilton,  shoe- 

maker. 

65.  James  Anderson,  shoemaker. 

66.  Abraham  Brown,  tailor. 

67.  Thomas  Grindell,  pewterer. 

68.  John  B.  Dash,  sr.,  hardware. 

69.  Ephraim  Ross,  tavern. 


26 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


No. 

70. 

71. 
72. 


73- 
74- 
75- 
76. 

77- 
78. 

79- 
80. 


83- 
84. 

85. 

86. 

87. 


Mary  Dixon. 

Widow  Hoffman,  shopkeeper. 
John  Jackson,  carpenter. 
James  Nesmith. 
William  Roberts,  cordwainer. 
Joseph  Ouinnion,  tailor. 

John  Jackson,  shopkeeper. 
Mrs.  Carter,  young  ladies' 

school. 

Baptist  Gilliaux,  hairdresser. 


John  Stackler,  blacksmith. 
Thomas  Parsell,  coachmaker. 

William  S.  Livingston, 

attorney. 
Mrs.  McCullen,  boarding- 
house. 

James  Jarvis. 

Peter  Deschent,  fruit  shop. 
Archibald  McCullum,  saddler. 
Malcolm  Campbell,  school. 
Joseph  Harden. 
James  Tillery,  M.D. 
John  Van  Gelder,  tailor. 
Mrs.  Bayard. 

David  Campbell,  attorney. 
W.  G.  Forbes,  goldsmith. 


No. 
89. 
90. 

91. 

92. 
93- 

94. 

95- 
96. 

97- 
98. 
99. 


Lawrence  Kortwright, 

merchant. 

John  Foxcroft,  agent  for  British 
packets. 

John  H.  Merkle,  goldsmith. 
John  Nixson,  cookshop. 
Widow  Laycock. 
Walter  Livingston,  attorney. 
John  Cochrane,  M.D. 
Mrs.  James.    George  Turnbull. 
Thomas  Ellison. 
Robert  Melvin,  carpenter. 
Joseph  Nourse,  register  of  the 
treasury. 

100.  John  Charlton,  M.D. 

Peter  McKinnion,  hairdresser. 

101.  James  Hill,  painter. 

102.  James  Hill,  jr. 
103. 

104.  John  Slidell,  chandler. 

Thomas  Ten  Eyck,  merchant. 
105— 117. 

118.  Anthony  Bolton,  shoemaker. 

119.  William  Heyer. 

120.  John  Rogers,  merchant. 
121 — 132. 

133.  John  Jay. 


Among  the  residents  whose  street  numbers  do  not  appear 
in  the  Directory  were  M.  du  Moustier,  the  French  minister, 
who  resided  near  the  Bowling  Green ;  Gen.  Henry  Knox, 
who  resided  in  1787,  at  No.  4  Broadway,  and  probably  occu- 
pied the  same  house  in  1789;  Alderman  William  W.  Gil- 
bert ;  Widow  Van  Cortlandt,  on  the  corner  of  Thames  Street 
now  occupied  by  the  Trinity  Building ;  James  Thompson, 
merchant,  corner  of  Thames  Street ;  Manasseh  Salter,  shop- 
keeper ;  and  William  Wilmerding,  storekeeper,  corner  of  Dey 
Street.  Elbridge  Gerry  and  William  Smith,  congressmen 
from  Massachusetts,  also  lived  on  Broadway,  the  former  at 


General  Description. 


27 


the  corner  of  Thames  Street  with  his  father-in-law  James 
Thompson,  and  the  latter  next  door  to  the  Spanish  Minister. 
Senator  Ralph  Izard  of  South  Carolina  lived  opposite  the 
French  Ambassador.  The  east  side  of  Broadway  below  Wall 
Street  had  been  swept  by  the  fire  of  1776  and  had  been  re- 
built with  cheap  frame  buildings  but  these  were  beginning  to 
be  replaced  by  fine  residences,  and,  a  few  years  later,  the 
lower  part  of  Broadway  became  one  of  the  most  fashionable 
places  of  residence.  The  house  occupied  by  Gen.  Knox,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  which  was  advertised  for  sale  in  the  latter 
part  of  1789  was  probably  a  fair  representative  of  the  better 
class  of  dwelling  houses  at  that  time.  It  was  described  as  a 
four  story  brick  house  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway,  31^  feet 
wide  by  60  feet  deep,  containing  two  rooms  of  thirty  feet  in 
length,  one  of  twenty-six  feet,  three  of  twenty-three  feet,  and 
two  of  twenty  feet,  besides  four  other  rooms  with  fireplaces, 
and  four  smaller  ones  without  them.  On  the  ground-floor 
there  was  a  large  servant's-hall  which  communicated  with  the 
area,  and  a  kitchen  20  ft.  by  30  ft.  in  dimension.  In  the  rear 
of  the  house  there  was  a  piazza  thirty  feet  long  by  ten  feet 
wide  and  the  back  yard  contained  a  good  well,  cistern,  and 
ash-house.  The  lots  ran  back  about  500  feet  to  the  end  of  a 
wharf  on  Greenwich  Street,  and  upon  one  of  them,  fronting 
upon  Greenwich  Street,  was  a  coach-house  twenty-eight  feet 
four  inches  wide. 

No  houses  were  allowed  to  be  erected  in  the  city  unless 
the  property  was  previously  surveyed  by  a  city  surveyor,  the 
penalty  for  disobedience  of  this  rule  being  a  fine  of  and 
by  ordinance  of  April  15th  1789  no  stoop  was  to  extend  more 
than  six  feet  nor  any  bow-window  more  than  twenty  inches 
into  any  street.  The  City  Surveyors  were  Isaac  Stoutenburg, 
jr.,  Dey  Street  near  Broadway;  John  McComb,  21  Smith 
(William)  Street ;  Evert  Bancker,  3  Fair  (Fulton)  Street ;  and 
Charles  T.  Goerck,  20  Gold  Street.  The  transfers  of  real  es- 
tate on  Broadway  in  1789  were  very  few.  Among  the  deeds 
recorded  in  that  year,  but  dated  two  or  three  years  before, 
was  one  conveying  for  £yoo  a  plot  of  ground  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Broadway  and  Liberty  Street  twenty-five  feet 


28 


New  York  City  m  1789. 


wide  by  ninety  feet  deep,  with  a  smaller  plot  in  the  rear, 
while  another  lot  in  the  same  neighborhood,  thirty-eight  feet 
wide  by  ninety  feet  deep,  was  sold  for  £600.  A  plot  on  the 
west  side  of  the  street,  probably  some  distance  below  Wall 
Street,  having  a  frontage  of  105  feet  and  a  depth  of  270  feet 
to  high  water,  running  thence  to  low-water  mark  and  thence 
200  feet  into  the  North  River,  was  sold  for  £3,200.  A 
Church  Farm  lot  twenty-five  feet  wide  by  108  feet  9  inches 
deep  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  between  Warren  and 
Murray  Streets  brought  ^"240,  and  £150  were  paid  for  a  lot 
33  feet  wide  by  190  feet  deep  on  Great  George  Street  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Collect. 

The  cross  streets  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  were 
nearly  the  same  as  at  the  present  time  but  in  a  few  cases  had 
different  names.  Duane  Street,  which  extended  but  one 
block  west  of  Broadway  was  called  Barley  Street ;  Park 
Place  was  called  Robinson  Street  and  was  not  cut  through 
the  block  then  occupied  by  Columbia  College;  Fulton  Street 
on  that  side  of  the  city  was  called  Partition  Street,  while 
Liberty  and  Cedar  Streets  were  known  respectively  as  Crown 
and  Little  Queen  Streets.  Exchange  Place  on  the  west  side 
was  known  as  Oyster  Pasty  Lane,  and  the  present  Morris 
Street  was  called  Beaver  Lane.  West  Broadway  and  Col- 
lege Place  ran  only  from  Reade  to  Barclay  Street  and  were 
called  Chapel  Street,  while  Church  Street  extended  only 
from  Reade  to  Fulton  Street.  The  street  corresponding  to 
the  present  New  Church  Street  extended  from  Liberty 
Street  to  Exchange  Place  and  was  known  as  Lumber  Street. 
Improvements  in  these  streets  had  been  begun  in  1788  and 
during  that  and  the  following  year  Barclay,  Vesey,  Partition, 
Cortlandt,  and  Lumber  Streets  and  Oyster  Pasty  Lane  were 
ordered  to  be  paved.  Among  the  residents  on  Cortlandt 
Street  were  at  No.  1,  William  J.  Elsworth,  pewterer,  and  Dr. 
Edward  Eager ;  No.  46,  James  Prince,  merchant ;  No.  49, 
Samuel  Fraunces,  tavern  ;  No.  63,  Rev.  Dr.  John  Mason ;  and 
No.  66,  Rev.  Dr.  William  Linn. 

One  of  the  streets  upon  which  the  greatest  improvements 
were  being  made  was  Greenwich  Street,  which  ran  close  to 


General  Description.  29 

the  water's  edge  from  the  Battery  to  Cedar  Street,  but  from 
that  point  to  Reade  Street  was  separated  from  the  North 
River  by  short  blocks  filled  in  on  its  west  side.  In  May  1788, 
a  part  of  it  was  being  regulated  and  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
the  Common  Council  ordered  the  paving  of  it  from  Cort- 
landt  to  Barclay  Street.  Subsequently  this  work  was  ordered 
to  be  extended  to  Warren  Street,  and  by  the  29th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1789,  it  had  progressed  so  far  that  a  committee  of  the 
Common  Council  was  appointed  to  investigate  the  error  in  it. 
The  street  was  also  apparently  widened  as  a  number  of  old 
buildings  were  removed  from  the  line  of  it,  and  commissioners 
during  the  year  1789  awarded  about  ^"1950  to  property  own- 
ers for  injury  caused  to  their  premises  by  the  improvements. 
The  commissioners  themselves,  five  in  number,  asked  for  but 
$120  for  their  services.  Among  the  places  of  business  on 
Greenwich  Street  were  that  of  Frederick  and  Philip  Rhine- 
lander  on  the  corner  of  Barclay  Street,  and  the  store  of  Isaac 
Stoutenburgh  and  Son,  on  the  corner  of  Dey  Street.  In 
June  1789,  the  corporation  of  Trinity  Church  announced  the 
sale  at  auction  of  two  lots  on  the  corner  of  Greenwich  and 
Murray  Streets  with  the  house  lately  occupied  by  Mr.  Rich- 
ard Deane,  and  also  the  much-admired  lots  called  Vaux  Hall, 
which  were  one  hundred  feet  square  with  buildings  and  gar- 
dens bounded  in  part  by  Warren  Street.  Another  advertise- 
ment of  the  sale  of  a  distillery  on  Greenwich  Street  describes 
it  as  the  growing  part  of  the  city. 

Pearl  Street,  which  was  originally  on  the  water-line,  in 
1789  bore  that  name  only  from  the  present  State  Street  to 
Broad  Street.  From  Broad  Street  to  Wall  Street  it  was 
called  Great  Dock  Street,  and  thence  to  its  end  at  Chatham 
Street  it  was  known  as  Queen  Street,  a  name  which  it  re- 
ceived in  1695  and  retained  until  toward  the  close  of  the  last 
century.  In  1788  and  1789  it  was  regulated  and  paved  from 
the  present  Oak  Street  to  Coenties  Alley.  A  number  of  the 
chief  merchants  had  their  residences  and  places  of  business 
in  the  part  of  it  known  as  Great  Dock  Street,  while  the  part 
known  as  Queen  Street  shared  with  Water  Street  and  Han- 
over Square  the  principal  business  of  the  city.    The  highest 


30 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


street  number  given  to  a  house  on  Great  Dock  Street  by  the 
city  directory  of  1789  is  fifty-six.  A  few  of  the  residents  on 
that  street  were  as  follows  : 


No. 

2.  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman, 

attorney. 
9.  Farmer  &  Bishop,  store. 

10.  Abraham  Brinkerhoff,  store. 

11.  Atwood  &  Tronson,  iron. 

12.  J.  B.  Colles,  iron. 

Nicholas  Hoffman  &  Son, 

merchants. 

13.  Robert  C.  Livingston. 


No. 

14.  Johnston  &  Ogden, 

merchants. 
17.  Christopher  Beekman,  tavern. 
19.  Abraham  Maziere. 
35.  Gulian  Verplanck. 

39.  William  Constable  &  Co., 

merchants. 

40.  William  Neilson,  merchant. 

41.  Hill  &  Ogden,  merchants. 


At  No.  15  was  Mrs.  Dunscomb's  boarding-house  which  was 
patronized  by  Caleb  Strong,  Fisher  Ames,  Theodore  Sedg- 
wick, and  George  Leonard  of  Massachusetts.  On  Queen 
Street  the  highest  street  number  was  244  and  some  of  the 
residents  were  : 


No. 

I.  James  Rivington,  bookseller  & 
tobacconist. 
4.  William  Bayard,  merchant. 

8.  Joshua  Waddington  &  Co., 

merchants. 

9.  Isaac  Desbrosses. 

11.  Richard  Harrison,  attorney. 
13.  Samuel  Dunlap,  store. 
William  Dunlap,  portrait 

painter. 

1 5.  Alexander  Robertson,  merchant. 

James  Smith,  merchant. 
17.  George  Scriba,  merchant. 
21.  John  Keese,  notary  public. 

24.  John  J.  Glover,  merchant. 

25.  Nicholas  Brevoort,  iron. 

26.  Alexander  Dunlap,  iron. 

37.  George  Bowne,  merchant. 

38.  John  Bard,  iron. 

39.  Robert  Bowne,  merchant. 
43.  Pearsall  &  Embree,  watches. 


No. 

44.  James  Scott,  merchant. 

50.  Thomas  Franklin,  merchant. 

51.  Edward  Livingston,  attorney. 

52.  Walter  Buchanan,  merchant. 
Jacob  Leroy  &  Son,  merchants. 

56.  Willet  Seaman,  merchant. 

67.  William  Walton. 

68.  Jared  Walton. 

73.  James  Roosevelt,  merchant. 
79.  Ephraim  Brasher,  goldsmith. 
98.  Solomon  Hull,  soap-boiler. 
101.  White  Matlack,  brewer. 

155.  John  Murray. 

156.  Benjamin  Kissam,  M.D. 
159.  James  Roosevelt  &  Son, 

merchants. 
162.  John  Lawrence,  merchant. 
168.  Peter  Byvanck,  iron. 
171.  James  Cogswell,  physician. 
173.  James  W.  Depeyster, 

merchant. 


Ge?ieral  Description. 


3i 


No.  No. 

175.  William  Depeyster,  dry  goods.  212. 
177.  Peter  &  James  Burling, 

leather.  213. 

181.  Streatfield  &  Levinus  215. 

Clarkson.  222. 

183.  Samuel  Franklin,  merchant.  223. 

184.  Murray  &  Sansom,  merchants.  227. 

185.  Effingham  Embree. 

189.  William  Kenyon,  merchant.  228. 

190.  William  &  Samuel  Bowne, 

merchants.  233. 

191.  De  Luze,  de  Montmollin  &  Co. 

193.  Edmund  Prior,  merchant.  234. 

194.  James  Parsons  &  Son,  235. 

merchants.  236. 

196.  Embree  &  Lawrence,  iron.  237. 

197.  Henry  Haydock,  merchant.  238. 

200.  William  Laight  &  Co., 

merchants.  239. 

201.  Hallet  &  Brown,  iron. 

202.  William  Robinson,  merchant.  240. 

203.  Thomas  Pearsall  &  Son,  241 . 

merchants. 

205.  Pearsall  &  Pell,  merchants.  244. 


Alsop  &  James  Hunt, 

leather. 
John  Thompson,  merchant. 
William  Wilson,  merchant. 
David  Provoost,  merchant. 
Lyde  &  Rogers,  merchants. 
Effingham  Lawrence, 

druggist. 

Besley  &  Goodwin, 

druggists. 
George  Lewis  &  Co., 

merchants. 
Andrew  Mitchell,  merchant. 
Robert  Lenox,  merchant. 
George  Douglas,  jr.,  merchant. 
Robert  Hodge,  bookseller. 
Hay  Stevenson  &  Co., 

merchants. 
M'Farran  &  Dunlap, 

auctioneers. 
James  Beekman,  merchant. 
Jacob  &  Philip  Marks, 

merchants. 
Frederick  Jay,  auctioneer. 


By  an  Act  passed  on  the  29th  of  March  1784  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Forfeitures  were  ordered  to  set  apart  such  a  house 
as  the  Governor  might  choose  for  a  residence,  and  his  choice 
fell  upon  the  house  Number  10  Queen  Street,  opposite  the 
end  of  Cedar  Street,  which  had  been  confiscated  from  Henry 
White.  On  the  1st  of  May  1786  the  Commissioners  were 
ordered  to  sell  this  house,  and  it  was  conveyed  by  them  to 
Henry  White,  jr.,  by  deed  dated  June  19th  1786,  but  the 
Governor  apparently  continued  to  reside  in  it,  paying  a  rent 
of  £300  a  year.  It  was  a  two-story  and  attic  house,  five  win- 
dows wide,  with  a  sloping  tiled  roof,  containing  five  dormer 
windows.  The  house  on  Pearl  Street  which  has  received  the 
most  attention  in  history  was  the  Walton  mansion  on  the 
east  side  of  Franklin  Square,  and  afterwards  known  as  No. 
326  Pearl  Street.  This  house  was  built  about  the  year  1754 
of  brick,  which  are  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Holland, 


32  New  York  City  in  1789. 

trimmed  with  brown  stone.  It  was  fifty  feet  wide,  with  three 
stories  and  an  attic,  above  which  was  a  slightly  sloping  roof 
adorned  with  a  balustrade  in  front.  The  entrance  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  building  with  spacious  drawing-rooms  on  each 
side  of  it,  the  elegant  woodwork  and  decoration  of  the  inter- 
ior making  it  one  of  the  finest  mansions  in  the  city.  Its 
builder  was  William  Walton,  an  old  merchant  of  the  city, 
who,  at  his  death,  left  it  to  his  nephew  William  Walton,  who 
was  its  owner  in  1789  but  resided  himself  at  No.  67  Queen 
Street.  From  1784  to  1787  the  Walton  house,  which  was 
known  as  No.  156  Queen  Street,  was  occupied  by  the  Bank 
of  New  York,  and  in  1789  it  was  the  residence  of  Dr.  Benja- 
min Kissam.  After  suffering  various  vicissitudes  it  was  torn 
down  in  1881.  In  1789  the  house  No.  27  Queen  Street,  three 
stories  high  with  three  rooms  on  a  floor,  was  rented  for  $362. 

Water  Street  from  Whitehall  Street  to  Old  Slip  was 
called  Little  Dock  Street,  but  above  the  latter  point  was 
called  Water  Street  to  its  end  at  James  Slip.  From  Burling 
to  James  Slip  it  was  the  street  nearest  the  East  River.  Dur- 
ing the  years  1788  and  1789  it  was  paved  from  Coenties  Slip 
to  Peck  Slip,  but  a  proposition  to  straighten  it  from  Dover 
Street  to  James  Slip  was  rejected  by  the  Common  Council  in 
January  1789,  and  in  June  the  paving  of  that  portion  of  it 
was  suspended  until  further  order.  Some  of  the  householders 
on  Little  Dock  Street  in  1789  were: 


No. 

5.  George  Remsen,  merchant. 

7.  James  Youle,  ironmonger. 

8.  B.  Svvartvvout  &  Son,  store. 

9.  Abraham  Kipp,  store. 
10.  Lansing  &  Heyer,  store. 
12.  Nicholas  Hoffman  &  Sons, 

merchants. 

15.  William  Durell,  china. 

16.  David  Currie. 
Nicholas  Hoffman. 

20.  Elting  &  Varick,  iron. 

Peter  Elting,  alderman. 
32.  Peter  Elting,  jr.,  store. 


No. 

34.  John  Elting,  store. 

35.  Coster  &  Co.,  merchants. 
38.  John  Cooper,  furrier. 

40.  John  Ten  Eyck. 

41.  Lynch  &  Stoughton, 

counting-house. 

42.  John  Stoughton,  merchant. 

43.  Josiah  Shippey  &  Co., 

merchants. 
Nicholas  Van  Antwerp, 

merchant. 

48.  Townsend  Underhill,merchant. 

49.  John  Lasher,  port-officer. 


General  Description. 


33 


On  Water  Street  the  high 
among  the  householders  were : 

No. 

5.  Samuel  &  John  Loudon, 

printers. 

6.  Henry  Sevvall,  broker. 

7.  Robert  Stewart,  tobacco 

broker. 

17.  John  Reid,  bookseller. 
24.  Jacob  Hallet,  merchant. 
Nicholas  Low,  merchant. 

26.  William  Mercier,  lighthouse 

office. 

27.  Theodosius  Fowler,  broker. 

28.  George  Pollock,  merchant. 

29.  John  Delafield,  insurance 

broker. 

31.  James  Saidler,  broker. 

32.  Daniel  Phoenix,  merchant. 

35.  Moses  Rogers  &  Co., 

merchants. 

36.  Marinus  Willet,  merchant. 
42.  Abraham  Herring,  store. 

50.  David  Grim,  commission 

merchant. 

51.  Nathaniel  Hazard,  commission 

merchant. 
53.  P.  P.  Van  Zandt,  merchant. 

55.  Leffert  Lefferts,  distiller. 

56.  Thomas  Lloyd,  shorthand 

writer. 

61.  Jonathan  Lawrence,  merchant. 

62.  Sears  &  Smith,  merchants. 
68.  John  Ireland,  dry  goods. 

70.  Thomas  &  William  Burling, 

glass. 

71.  Peter  Schermerhorn,  ship 

chandler. 

101.  Alexander  Hamilton  &  Co., 
distillers. 

103.  Thomas  Andrews,  parchment. 

134.  Benjamin  Hilldrick,  distiller. 

135.  Abram  Walton. 


street-number  was  217,  and 


No. 

136.  Samuel  Delaplane,  merchant. 

137.  Thomas  &  John  Brown,  boat 

builders. 
145.  Joseph  Blakley,  china. 
1 57.  Coen  &  Wright,  sailmakers. 
163.  Nicholas  Delaplane,  merchant^ 

170.  Wynant  Van  Zandt,  jr., 

merchant. 

171.  William  Johnson,  iron. 

172.  Hawxhurst  &  Mowatts,  china. 

173.  Peter  Griffin,  dry  goods. 

174.  Samuel  Forbes,  dry  goods. 

176.  William  Thompson,  dry 

goods. 

177.  Robert  Johnson,  dry  goods. 

178.  James  Seaman,  china. 

186.  William  Henderson, 

insurance. 

187.  John  Price,  merchant. 
190.  Francis  Childs,  printer. 

John  Swain,  printer. 

194.  Charles  M'Ever,  insurance. 

195.  Richard  Piatt,  broker. 

196.  Thomas  Greenleaf,  printer. 

199.  Clark  Greenwood, 

mathematical  instruments. 

200.  Widow  Bradford,  coffee 

house. 

201.  William  Hill,  merchant. 

202.  Leroy  &  Bayard,  merchants. 
206.  Shedden,  Patrick  &  Co. 

merchants. 
208.  Anthony  L.  Bleeker, 

auctioneer. 

210.  John  McVicker,  merchant. 

211.  Randal  &  Stewart, 

merchants. 
213.  John  Shaw,  merchant. 
215.  Sadlier  &  Bailey,  merchants. 
217.  John  Gibson,  physician. 


34 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Front  Street  was  of  less  importance.  It  ran  only  as  far 
north  as  Burling  Slip,  and  in  1788  and  1789  was  paved  from 
Coenties  Slip  to  the  foot  of  Maiden  Lane. 

Hanover  Square  was  the  chief  centre  of  business  after  Pearl 
and  Water  Streets,  and  was  paved  in  July  1789.  Among  the 
householders  here  were : 


No. 

5.  James  Farquhar. 

6.  John  Broome,  merchant. 

7.  Maule  &  Bullock,  merchants. 

8.  Henry  Remsen. 

10.  John  &  Francis  Aitkinson, 

merchants. 

11.  Bank  of  New  York. 

12.  William  Seton  &  Co. 

merchants. 

13.  Vanhorne  &  Clarkson, 

merchants. 

14.  James  Barclay,  auctioneer. 
16.  William  Van  Nest,  saddler. 
18.  M.  &  H.  Oudenarde, 

merchants. 

23.  Francis  Wainwright,  druggist. 


No. 

24.  Timothy  Hurst,  druggist. 
26.  Oliver  Hull,  druggist. 

31.  Collin  M'Gregor,  merchant. 

32.  Michael   Roberts,   jewelry  & 

stationery. 

34.  Thomas  Roberts,  dry  goods. 

35.  Berry  &  Rogers,   jewelry  & 

stationery. 

37.  Francis  Durand,  merchant. 

38.  Theophylact  Bache,  merchant. 

40.  James  Bleeker,  merchant. 

41.  Archibald  M'Lean,  printer. 

43.  Uriah  Hendricks,  merchant. 

44.  Samuel  Campbell,  books. 
46.  Andrew  Hamersley,  saddler. 
48.  Peter  Goelet,  iron. 


William  Street  below  Maiden  Lane  was  known  as  Smith 
Street,  and,  at  its  upper  end,  the  two  blocks  from  Frankfort 
to  Pearl  Street  were  called  King  George  Street.  In  1788  and 
1789  it  was  paved  from  Stone  Street  to  Wall,  from  Pine 
Street  to  Liberty,  and  from  John  Street  to  Beekman  Street. 
With  Nassau  Street  it  shared  the  principal  retail  trade  of  the 
city,  and  was  also  a  place  of  residence.  Some  of  the  house- 
holders on  Smith  Street  were : 

No.  No. 

5.  Obadiah  &  Andrew  Bowne,  dry  21.  John  M'Comb,  surveyor. 

goods.  22.  John  Marsden. 

14.  Peter  Kemble,  merchant.  28.  Peter  Bogart. 

15.  Mr.  Ketteltas.  47.  Isaac  Classon,  merchant. 
Brockholst  Livingston,  49.  Cornelius  Ray,  merchant. 

attorney.   50.  Charles  M'Knight,  physician. 

16.  Grove  Bend,  merchant.  55.  Anspach  &  Rogers. 
18.  Thomas  Storm,  merchant.          59.  Donald  B.  Campbell. 


General  Description. 


35 


On  William  Street  were : 

No.  No. 

i.  William  Griggs,  jewelry.  46.  Rev.  Abram  Beach. 

5.  Mrs.  Henshaw,  ladies' academy.  49.  John  Stakes,  grocer. 

6.  John  Siemon,  furrier.  55.  Gilbert  Saltonstall,  merchant. 
11.  Robert  Robertson,  merchant.  56.  John  Greenwood,  dentist. 

18.  Pope  &  Cadle,  stocking  91.  Commodore  Nicholson. 

factory.  92.  James  Renwick,  merchant. 
25.  John  Ramage,  miniature 

painter. 

Nassau  Street  also  was  a  place  of  residence  and  of  retail 
trade.    Among  the  householders  on  it  were : 

No.  No. 

1.  John  Wiley,  alderman.  18.  Garret  Steddiford. 

2.  John  Burrows,  chairmaker.         21.  John  George  Leake. 

Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  Provoost.  23.  William  Mooney,  upholsterer. 

5.  Jacobus  Lefferts.  27.  Richard  Morris,  chief-justice. 

10.  Aaron  Burr.  48.  Johnson  &  Lemilt,  hatters. 

15.  John  Mildeberger.  50.  David  Grim,  merchant. 

17.  James  Duane,  mayor.  69.  Dr.  John  Gamage. 

Other  residents  whose  street  numbers  are  not  given  in  the 
directory,  were  Egbert  Benson,  on  the  corner  of  Pine  Street ; 
Peter  Ogilvie,  probate  judge,  on  the  corner  of  John  Street ; 
and  Dr.  Nicholas  Romaine,  on  the  corner  of  John  Street. 

Broad  Street  was  occupied  by  small  shops,  and  a  few  resi- 
dences, among  which  were  those  of  Dr.  Samuel  Fleming,  at 
No.  10  ;  Thomas  Ludlow,  No.  40 ;  Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  No.  45  ; 
Alderman  Jeremiah  Wool,  No.  49 ;  and  David  Shakespeare, 
chandler,  at  No.  61.  In  the  middle  of  Broad  Street  between 
Water  and  Front  Streets,  stood  the  Merchants'  Exchange,  a 
brick  building  on  arches,  which  had  been  erected  in  1755. 
The  building,  however,  was  no  longer  used  for  its  original  pur- 
pose, and  in  September  1788,  when  the  City  Hall  was  appro- 
priated to  the  use  of  the  National  Government,  the  Common 
Council  decided  to  use  the  Exchange  for  the  courts  and  the 
corporation.  On  the  7th  of  October  1788  it  was  ordered 
that  the  building  be  repaired  "in  the  most  economical  man- 
ner," and  it  was  apparently  used  by  the  courts  during  1789,  as, 


36 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


on  the  nth  of  December  in  that  year,  Bardin's  long-room  was 
obtained  for  a  court-room,  as  the  Exchange  was  needed  for 
the  coming  meeting  of  the  Legislature.  The  building  was 
ordered  to  be  torn  down  on  the  nth  of  March  1799. 

Of  the  cross  streets  below  Wall  Street,  one  was  the  He- 
brew centre  of  the  city.  This  was  Mill  or  Duke  Street, 
which  extended  in  the  form  of  an  elbow  from  the  east  side  of 
Broad  Street  south  into  Stone  Street,  but  now  forms  a  part 
of  South  William  Street.    Among  its  inhabitants  were : 


No. 

3.  Widow  Gomez. 

4.  James  Stewart,  merchant. 

5.  Moses  Gomez. 

7.  Haymen  Levy,  merchant. 
Rev.  Gershom  Seixas. 


No. 

1 1.  Manuel  Noah. 

12.  Rynier  Suydam. 

15.  William  Backhouse,  merchant. 
19.  Benjamin  S.  Judah,  merchant. 
26.  David  Fitzgerald,  merchant. 


Mill  Street  is  also  spoken  of  in  the  minutes  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  as  Jew  Street,  and  although  on  the  map  in 
1789  it  is  marked  Duke  Street,  that  name  on  the  maps  in 
some  other  years  is  applied  to  Stone  Street  east  of  Broad 
Street. 

Beaver  Street  east  of  Broad  Street  was  called  Princess 
Street ;  but  west  of  Broad  Street  it  bore  its  present  name, 
and  at  No.  4  lived  John  Watts,  who,  in  1792  removed  to  No. 
2  Broadway.  The  streets  below  Beaver  Street  were  Market 
Street ;  Stone  Street,  upon  which  at  No.  5  lived  Nicholas 
Cruger;  and  Wincom  Street,  which  is  now  Bridge  Street. 
Exchange  Place  was  known  as  Verlittenberg  Street.  Pine 
and  Cedar  Streets  were  known  respectively  as  King  and  Little 
Queen  Streets  until  the  year  1804.  Among  the  residents  on 
King  Street  were  at  No.  23,  John  Taylor,  merchant;  No.  26, 
Charles  Thomson,  secretary  of  Congress;  and  at  No.  52, 
Comfort  Sands,  merchant.  Liberty  Street  was  called  Crown 
Street,  and  at  its  North  River  end  was  a  bath-house  kept  by 
Henry  Ludlam,  with  warm  and  cold  water  of  sufficient  depth 
for  both  ladies  and  gentlemen.  One  of  the  best-known 
buildings  on  this  street  was  the  sugar-house  on  its  south  side, 
east  of  Nassau  Street,  and  adjoining  the   Middle  Dutch 


General  Description, 


37 


Church.  Built  of  stone,  with  five  stories  and  a  loft,  pierced 
with  three  small  windows  on  each  floor  in  front,  and  five  on 
the  side,  this  structure  remained  for  many  years  a  monument 
to  the  sufferings  of  the  American  prisoners  who  had  been  in- 
humanely packed  within  its  walls  by  the  British. 

Maiden  Lane  bore  its  present  name,  there  being  among 
its  householders,  at  No.  23,  Walter  Heyer;  No.  27,  John 
Dewint ;  No.  33,  John  and  Nicholas  J.  Roosevelt,  merchants; 
and  at  No.  46,  Alderman  Lott. 

John  Street,  east  of  Dutch  Street,  was  called  Goldenhill 
Street ;  and  Fulton  Street  to  the  east  of  Broadway  was 
known  as  Fair  Street,  and  to  the  west,  as  Partition  Street. 

Ann  Street  was  the  same  as  at  the  present  time,  and 
Beekman's  Swamp  was  the  only  place  south  of  the  Fresh 
Water  where  raw  hides  were  allowed  to  be  stored  for  more 
than  twenty-four  hours.  A  few  of  the  residents  on  Beekman 
Street  were : 


No. 

5.  William  P.  Smith,  physician. 
8.  John  and  James  Aymar, 

tobacconists. 
22.  Hubert  V.  Wagenen. 
25.  Alderman  Blagge. 

Cornelius  J.  Bogert,  attorney. 
27.  Henry  Rogers,  merchant. 


No. 

39.  George  Moorewood, 

merchant 

40.  William  Cowenhoven,  hatter. 
55.  John  Cosine,  attorney. 

64.  Peter  Bogert. 

John  Jackson,  merchant. 
71.  John  Blagge,  flaxseed. 


The  present  Spruce  Street  was  called  George  Street,  one 
of  its  householders,  at  No.  22,  being  Philip  Rhinelander. 
Frankfort  Street  bore  its  present  name.  At  No.  21  King 
George  Street,  as  the  upper  end  of  William  Street  was  called, 
on  the  block  above  Frankfort  Street  resided  William  Rhine- 
lander,  sugar  boiler,  in  a  two-story  and  attic  dwelling-house, 
next  door  to  which  was  the  sugar  house,  four  stories  high, 
with  a  cellar  and  loft,  and  bearing  the  date  1763. 

Gold  Street  was  the  same  as  at  the  present  time,  but  Cliff 
Street  ran  only  from  John  Street  to  Ferry  Street.  Vande- 
water  Street  bore  its  present  name,  and  a  street  correspond- 
ing somewhat  to  the  present  Rose  Street  was  called  Prince 
Street.    The  dirtiest  street  in  the  city  was  apparently  Ferry 


3S 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Street,  as  on  the  12th  of  August  1789  its  inhabitants  peti- 
tioned the  Common  Council  that  the  sand  and  filth  brought 
into  the  street  by  every  heavy  storm  might  be  removed  at 
public  expense ;  but  the  Aldermen  decided  that  the  applica- 
tion was  improper  and  that  no  such  relief  could  be  granted. 

In  December  1788  it  was  ordered  that  Chatham  Street 
should  be  regulated  from  James  to  Division  Street,  and  in  July 
1789,  it  was  ordered  that  it  be  paved.  But  it  seems  to  have 
been  in  a  poor  condition,  for  in  August  1789  a  committee  of 
the  Common  Council  recommended  that  the  bank  on  its  west 
side  be  cut  down  as  much  as  possible  without  injury  to  the 
houses,  in  order  to  render  the  street  more  "  uniform  and  con- 
venient." At  No.  5  Chatham  Street  were  Peter  and  George 
Lorillard,  tobacconists,  and  at  No.  36  was  the  brewery  of  Ap- 
pleby and  Matlack.  The  present  Baxter  Street  ran  but  one 
block  north  of  Chatham  Street  and  was  known  as  Orange 
Street.  Roosevelt,  James,  Oliver,  and  Catherine  Streets, 
bore  their  present  names,  but  the  only  two  streets  to  the  east 
of  them,  which  had  names,  were  called  George  and  Charlotte 
Streets.  The  present  East  Broadway  was  called  Harman 
Street,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Orchard  and  Grand  Streets, 
none  of  the  streets  east  of  the  Bowery  and  north  of  Division 
Street  bore  their  present  names.  Chrystie,  Forsyth,  Eldridge 
and  Allen  Streets  were  known  respectively  as  First,  Second, 
Third,  and  Fourth  Streets,  this  first  attempt  to  give  numbers 
to  the  streets  having  apparently  been  made  about  the  year 
1766.  Hester  Street,  east  of  the  Bowery,  was  called  Eagle 
Street ;  Canal  Street  was  Pump  Street ;  and  Bayard  Street 
was  Fishers  Street. 

The  most  important  street  in  the  city  was  Wall  Street, 
which  was  the  most  fashionable  place  of  residence,  and  in  1789 
was  the  centre  of  the  political  life  of  the  United  States.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  street  in  1789  were  as  follows,  different 
houses  evidently  bearing  the  same  street  number : 

No.  No. 

2.  John  McPherson,  store.  4.  William  Collett,  coachmaker. 

3.  John  Smith,  farrier.  John  Cransbaugh,  grocer. 
Daniel  Crommelin  Verplanck.         William  Maxwell,  tobacco. 


General  Description. 


39 


No. 

John  Stephens,  livery  stable. 

5.  Johannah  Van  Burgh  Ursin, 

boardinghouse. 
Samuel  A.  Otis,  secretary 

U.  S.  Senate. 

6.  Daniel  Ludlow. 

7.  William  Edgar,  merchant. 

8.  William  Bedlow,  postmaster. 

9.  Thomas  Smith,  attorney. 

10.  William  Denny. 

1 1.  John  Startin. 

12.  John  Marsden  Pintard. 

13.  John  Lawrence,  attorney. 

14.  John  Jones,  merchant. 

15.  Mrs.  Mary  Daubigny,  boarding 

house. 

16.  John  Miller,  Merchant. 
17. 

18.  Mrs.  Cuyler,  boarding  house. 

19.  Joshua  Jones,  grocer. 

20.  Richard  Cusack,  hatter. 
Robert  Hunter,  auctioneer. 

21.  Isaac  Moses,  auctioneer. 

22.  Smith  and  Bradford, 

auctioneers. 

23.  James  Smith,  auctioneer. 
24. 

25.  Robert  Lylburne,  merchant. 

26.  Thomas  Buchanan,  merchant. 
Francis  Giffin,  porterhouse. 

27.  Robert  Sanders,  cooper. 

28.  William  Vandrill,  tavern. 

29.  William  Allen,  shop. 
30- 

31.  John  Anderson,  auctioneer. 
Henry  Hannah,  shoemaker. 
Neal  McKinnon,  grocer. 

32.  Thomas   Biggs,  mathematical 

instruments. 

33.  William  Matthews,  tailor. 

34.  Thomas  Wainslow,  perukes. 
35- 


No. 
36. 
37- 

38.  Francis  Panton,  haberdasher. 

39.  Daniel  McCormick,  merchant. 

40.  Mrs.  Sheldon,  boarding  house. 

41.  John  Wilkes,  notary  public. 

42.  Richard  Kipp,  upholsterer. 

43.  Robert  Reley. 

44.  John  Lamb,  collector  of  the 

port. 

45.  Abijah  Hammond,  merchant. 

46.  Joseph  Lepine,  grocer. 

47.  Ludlow  &  Goold,  merchants. 

48.  Edward  Goold,  merchant. 

49.  Christopher  Baehr,  tailor. 

50.  Mrs.  White. 

52.  Richard  Varick,  attorney 

general. 

53- 

54.  E.  Seaman,  merchant. 

55.  Joseph  Corre,  confectioner, 

56.  James  Jauncey. 
John  Jauncey. 

Gabriel  W.  Ludlow,  merchant. 

57- 

58.  Alexander  Hamilton,  attorney. 

59.  Francis  Mallaby. 

Adam  Prior,  confectioner. 

60.  William  Irvin,  commissioner  of 

accounts. 

Jonathan  Burrell. 

61.  Sadler  Heyer. 

62.  Hugh  Ross,  tavern. 
Joseph  Mitchell,  shoemaker. 

63.  Joseph  Corre,  boarding  house. 

64.  James  Culbertson,  high 

constable. 

65.  S.  L.  Clark,  grocer. 

66.  William  Cock,  attorney. 
John  J.  Morgan,  attorney. 

67.  George  Turnbull. 


40 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


The  Verplanck  residence  was  next  door  to  Federal  Hall ; 
No.  5  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Wall  and  William 
Streets,  having  a  frontage  of  fifty  feet  on  the  former  street ; 
No.  20  was  on  one  of  the  corners  of  Water  Street ;  and  No. 
32  was  near  the  Coffee  House  which  stood  on  the  corner  of 
Water  Street.  Two  of  the  most  noted  residences  in  Wall 
Street  were  that  of  John  Lamb  next  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  William  Street  and  that  known  as  the  McEvers  mansion, 
afterwards  occupied  by  the  Bank  of  New  York,  on  that  cor- 
ner. The  boarding  house  of  Mrs.  Daubigny  at  No. -15  was 
one  of  the  best  in  the  city  and  in  1789  was  patronized  by 
Richard  Basset  and  George  Reed  of  Delaware,  Benjamin 
Contee,  Joshua  Seney,  and  Michael  G.  Stone  of  Maryland, 
and  by  Richard  B.  Lee  and  Andrew  Moore  of  Virginia.  A 
number  of  Congressmen  also  boarded  at  a  tavern  kept  by 
Michael  Huck  on  one  of  the  corners  of  Wall  and  William 
Streets.  The  remains  of  the  statue  of  William  Pitt  which 
had  been  erected  in  the  middle  of  Wall  Street  at  its  junction 
with  William  Street  had  been  removed  by  order  of  the 
Common  Council  in  July  1788,  and  are  now  to  be  found  in  the 
collection  of  the  N.  Y.  Historical  Society.  The  value 
of  real  estate  on  Wall  Street  in  1789  may  be  judged  by  the 
sale  for  £1800  of  two  lots  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  near 
Pearl  Street,  being  about  57  feet  front  and  rear  by  106  feet  on 
one  side  and  135  feet  on  the  other. 

The  most  pretentious  building  in  the  city  was  Federal 
Hall,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  Streets,  and 
extending  somewhat  into  the  latter.  The  first  City  Hall  or 
Stadt  Haus  was  erected  by  the  Dutch  in  1642  on  Pearl  Street 
facing  Coenties  Slip  and  was  sold  at  auction  in  August  1699, 
a  new  Hall  situated  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Wall  and 
Nassau  Streets  being  completed  in  1700  at  a  cost  of  ^"1151. 
Here  were  held  the  meetings  of  the  Common  Council,  Pro- 
vincial Assembly  and  the  Courts,  and  in  1785  the  building 
was  occupied  by  Congress,  the  ground  floor  containing  a  prison, 
watch-room,  and  engine-house.  In  August  1788  it  was  re- 
ported to  the  Common  Council  that  the  copper  roof  of  the 
building  was  so  leaky  that  it  should  be  replaced  by  cedar 


General  Description. 


4i 


shingles  and  an  offer  by  James  Robinson  to  do  this  work  for 
£35  was  accepted;  but  a  more  complete  change  in  the  build- 
ing was  soon  decided  upon.  On  the  17th  of  September  1788 
the  Common  Council  resolved  to  appropriate  the  whole  of 
the  City  Hall  to  the  use  of  the  General  Government  and 
aldermen  Gilbert  and  Willet  and  assistant  alderman  Janeway 
were  appointed  to  confer  on  the  subject  with  the  congressmen 
from  New  York  and  to  report  the  result  to  the  board.  On 
the  30th  of  September  1788  this  committee  reported  that  it 
had  secured  a  satisfactory  plan  for  the  alteration  of  the  build- 
ing from  Major  L'Enfant;  that  a  number  of  citizens  offered  to 
advance  money  for  the  purpose,  trusting  to  future  legislation 
for  reimbursement,  and  that  they  had  appointed  Robert 
Watts,  Alexander  Macomb,  Major  L'Enfant,  James  Nicholson 
and  William  Maxwell  commissioners  to  purchase  material  and 
superintend  the  work.  The  board  approved  this  report :  "  So 
that  no  charge  be  made  upon  this  Corporation  for  any  part  of 
the  expense."  The  Corporation  credit,  however,  was  very 
soon  used  for  the  repair  of  the  building,  as  on  the  3rd  of 
December  1788,  the  Bank  loaned  £1000  on  its  note  payable 
in  twelve  months,  the  work  on  the  building  having  been 
begun  on  the  6th  of  October.  On  the  7th  of  January  1789 
the  Common  Council  petitioned  the  Legislature  to  authorize 
a  tax  of  £13000  to  be  raised  in  the  city  for  the  erection  of  the 
Hall  and  to  indemnify  John  Jay  and  other  citizens  who  had 
given  their  notes  to  the  Bank  for  that  purpose,  and,  on  the 
9th  of  January  1789,  an  act  was  passed  in  accordance  with  the 
petition,  although  a  lottery  had  been  at  first  proposed  as  a 
means  of  raising  the  money.  By  the  1st  of  April  1789  the 
Corporation  had  given  notes  to  the  Bank  to  the  amount  of 
£6000  and  on  that  day  it  was  resolved  to  request  the  Bank  to 
advance  the  further  sum  of  £2600  3s.  iod.  in  paper  and  to 
liquidate  that  and  former  loans  in  specie  at  an  advance  of 
eight  per  cent,  and  to  take  the  bond  of  the  Corporation  for 
£9000  payable  in  twelve  months  in  gold  or  silver  with  interest 
at  seven  per  cent.  On  the  13th  of  April,  however,  the  Com- 
missioners reported  that  the  amount  raised  by  this  bond  would 
not  be  sufficient  to  finish  the  Hall  and  £2000  more  were 


42 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


borrowed,  but,  on  the  27th  of  April,  the  Common  Council  re- 
solved that  the  city  credit  had  been  extended  as  far  as  was 
justifiable,  that  no  more  money  be  advanced,  and  that  the 
Commissioners  be  requested  to  act  accordingly.  But  subse- 
quent pressure  led  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee  of 
Aldermen  on  the  17th  of  May  to  inspect  Federal  Hall  and  to 
ascertain  the  expense  of  completing  it,  and  in  pursuance  of 
its  report,  made  on  the  18th  of  June,  the  Bank  was  requested 
to  advance  £2000  more,  it  being  believed  that  the  building 
could  be  completed  for  that  amount.  The  Bank  refused  to 
loan  more  than  £1000,  and  on  the  24th  of  June  the  Common 
Council  requested  the  Commissioners  to  submit  their  accounts 
to  the  City  Chamberlain  and  appointed  Mr.  Nicholson  to 
endeavor  to  raise  £1200  on  the  city  credit  to  complete  the 
building.  This  amount,  however,  was  apparently  not  suffic- 
ient for  that  purpose  as  on  the  30th  of  July  the  Mayor  was 
instructed  to  apply  towards  its  painting  and  completion  a 
balance  which  Mr.  Nicholson  had  on  hand  from  the  sale  of 
stone  which  had  been  brought  from  the  Battery  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  Hall  and  had  not  been  used.  The  State  Govern- 
ment laid  claim  to  this  money  but  it  was  finally  appropriated 
to  building  purposes.  On  the  9th  of  September  1789  the 
Chamberlain  was  instructed  to  pay  the  Bank  from  time  to 
time  sums  from  the  tax  then  being  collected  and  on  the  1st  of 
January  1790  the  Corporation's  indebtedness  to  the  Bank  had 
been  paid  with  the  exception  of  ^1502  4s.  nd.,  for  which  a 
bond  was  given.  In  March  1789  the  Corporation  also  pur- 
chased from  Mr.  Verplanck,  for  £434  13s.,  the  lot  on  the  east 
side  of  Federal  Hall,  for  the  enlargement  of  the  premises  on 
that  side  ;  it  was  compelled  to  build  a  new  engine-house,  for 
which  work  Isaac  Meade  received  £25 ;  and  in  September  it 
purchased  for  £450  a  small  house  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Wall  and  Broad  Streets  to  accommodate  the  watchmen  who 
had  been  deprived  of  their  former  quarters.  The  tax  of 
£13000  which  had  been  authorized,  netted  £12433  when  the 
collectors'  fees  had  been  deducted,  but  this  was  only  half  the 
cost  of  the  building.  Early  in  1790  the  Corporation  informed 
the  Legislature  that  the  £  13000  raised  by  tax  had  already  been 


General  Description, 


43 


expended,  and  that  the  city  was  also  indebted  to  the  amount 
of  ;£  13000  more  for  the  alterations  made  in  the  City-Hall. 
Relief  was  accordingly  afforded  by  an  Act  passed  on  the  18th 
of  February  1790  authorizing  the  City  to  raise  £  13000  by  one 
♦  or  more  lotteries  for  the  payment  of  this  indebtedness.  By 
the  first  lottery  it  was  decided  to  raise  £7500  by  the  sale  of 
25000  tickets  at  40s.  each,  the  largest  prize  to  be ^3000.  The 
drawing  began  on  the  5th  of  August  1790  and  lasted  until 
the  4th  of  September,  the  capital  prize  being  drawn  by  a 
ticket  held  by  two  young  girls  and  "  purchased  with  savings 
from  their  laboriously  earned  pittance."  The  second  lottery 
consisted  of  23000  tickets  at  40s.  each,  7676  of  which  were  to 
draw  prizes,  and,  after  two  postponements,  the  drawing  be- 
gan on  the  2nd  of  May  1 791  and  lasted  for  twenty-three 
days.  The  new  Federal  Hall  thus  apparently  cost  about 
^26000  or  $65000,  exclusive  of  the  interest  paid  on  notes  and 
bonds. 

The  work  of  building  was  begun  on  the  6th  of  October 
1788  and  by  the  7th  of  December  the  structure  was  under 
cover.  At  that  time  the  Postmaster  General  wrote  that  he 
supposed  it  to  be  the  largest  and  most  elegant  building  on 
the  continent.  Much  of  the  old  brick  City  Hall  remained,  but 
some  new  wails  were  built  and  the  interior  was  changed  and 
decorated  with  an  elegance  theretofore  unknown  in  America. 
On  the  6th  of  February  1789  it  was  announced  that  the  eagle 
on  the  pediment  of  the  front  of  the  building  would  be  dis- 
played that  day,  and  that  the  ceremony  would  be  attended 
by  the  Troop  of  Horse,  Company  of  Light  Infantry,  and  Com- 
pany of  Grenadiers.  This  event,  however,  did  not  occur  at 
that  time,  and  was  apparently  postponed  until  the  early  part 
of  April.  On  the  3rd  of  March  1789  the  Recorder  was  in- 
structed by  the  Common  Council  to  officially  offer  the  use  of 
the  building  to  Congress,  and  at  the  same  time  the  suggestion 
was  made  that  Congress  should  appoint  Rynier  Skaats  keeper 
of  the  building.  But  after  this  offer,  written  by  the  Mayor, 
had  been  read  in  the  United  States  Senate  on  the  6th  of 
April,  the  suggestion  regarding  Mr.  Skaats  was  politely  de- 
clined until  such  an  office  was  created,  and  the  Common 


44 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Council  was  informed,  in  a  reply  of  thanks  on  the  14th  of 
April,  that  in  the  meantime  it  could  employ  whom  it  pleased 
to  take  care  of  the  building.  Mr.  Skaats  was  accordingly  in- 
stalled as  keeper  in  two  rooms  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
ground  floor,  one  of  the  windows  being  made  into  a  door ; 
and  the  premises  seem  to  have  been  a  healthy  residence,  as 
Mr.  Skaats  did  not  leave  this  world  until  September  18 14, 
when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  82  years.  The  rest  of  the 
building  was  entirely  occupied  by  the  Federal  Government 
with  the  exception  of  the  uppermost  room  in  its  southeast 
part,  which  was  granted  by  the  Common  Council  to  the  Soci- 
ety Library,  on  the  7th  of  January  1789,  provided  that  it  were 
not  required  for  the  use  of  the  government.  When  the  first 
Congress  of  the  United  States  met  in  the  building  on  the  4th 
of  March  1789  the  only  room  which  was  completed  was  the 
Senate  Chamber,  the  Representatives  meeting  in  a  small 
room  adjoining  it  which  was  fit  for  use.  The  doors  of  the 
Representatives  Chamber  were  not  thrown  open  to  the  public 
until  the  8th  of  April,  and  it  was  a  number  of  months  later 
before  all  the  finishing  touches  were  put  upon  the  building. 
On  the  9th  of  May,  a  committee  of  the  Senate  was  appointed 
to  confer  with  a  committee  of  the  House  as  to  the  appropria- 
tion of  the  rooms.  The  Assembly  Chamber  in  the  old  City 
Hall  had  been  adorned  with  a  portrait  of  Columbus;  life-size 
portraits  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  France,  presented  by  them 
to  Congress  ;  a  portrait  of  Washington,  presented  by  a  gentle- 
man in  England  ;  and  portraits  of  several  of  the  heroes  of  the 
Revolution.  These  probably  remained  in  the  new  Federal 
Hall,  the  portrait  of  Columbus  being  transferred  to  the  Cap- 
itol at  Albany  in  1827. 

The  contemporary  description  of  the  building,  which  ap- 
peared in  the  magazines  of  the  time,  was  as  follows  :  "  The 
basement  story  is  Tuscan,  and  is  pierced  with  seven  open- 
ings ;  four  massy  pillars  in  the  centre  support  four  Doric  col- 
umns and  a  pediment.  The  freeze  is  ingeniously  divided  to 
admit  thirteen  stars  in  the  metopes ;  these  with  the  Ameri- 
can Eagle  and  other  insignia  in  the  pediment,  and  the  tablets 
over  the  windows,  filled  with  the  thirteen  arrows  and  the 


General  Description. 


45 


olive  branch  united,  mark  it  as  a  building  set  apart  for  nation- 
al purposes.  After  entering  from  Broad  Street,  we  find  a 
plainly-finished  square  room,  flagged  with  stone,  and  to  which 
the  citizens  have  free  access ;  from  this  we  enter  the  vesti- 
bule in  the  centre  of  the  pile,  which  leads  in  front  to  the  floor 
of  the  Representatives'  room,  or  real  Federal  Hall,  and, 
through  two  arches  on  each  side,  by  a  public  staircase  on  the 
left,  and  by  a  private  one  on  the  right,  to  the  Senate  Chamber 
and  lobbies.  This  vestibule  is  paved  with  marble ;  is  very 
lofty  and  well-finished  ;  the  lower  part  is  of  a  light  rustic, 
which  supports  an  handsome  iron  gallery ;  the  upper  half  is 
in  a  lighter  stile  and  is  finished  with  a  skylight  of  about  12 
by  18  feet,  which  is  decorated  with  a  profusion  of  ornaments 
in  the  richest  taste.  Passing  into  the  Representatives'  room, 
we  find  a  spacious  and  elegant  apartment,  sixty-one  feet  deep, 
fifty-eight  wide  and  thirty-six  high,  without  including  an  al- 
coved  ceiling  of  about  ten  feet  high.  This  room  is  of  an  oc- 
tangular form  ;  four  of  its  sides  are  rounded  in  the  manner  of 
niches  and  give  a  graceful  variety  to  the  whole.  The  win- 
dows are  large,  and  placed  sixteen  feet  from  the  floor ;  all  be- 
low them  is  finished  with  plain  wainscott,  interrupted  only 
by  four  chimnies  ;  but  above  these,  a  number  of  Ionic  col- 
umns and  pilasters,  with  their  proper  entablature,  are  very  ju- 
diciously disposed  and  give  great  elegance.  In  the  panels 
between  the  windows  are  trophies  carved,  and  the  letters 
U.  S.  in  a  cipher  surrounded  with  laurel.  The  speaker's  chair 
is  opposite  the  great  door,  and  raised  by  several  steps ;  the 
chairs  for  the  members  are  ranged  semi-circularly  in  two 
rows  in  front  of  the  Speaker.  Each  member  has  his  separate 
chair  and  desk.  There  are  two  galleries  which  front  the 
speaker  ;  that  below,  projects  fifteen  feet ;  the  upper  one  is 
not  so  large  and  is  intended  to  be  at  the  disposal  of  the  mem- 
bers for  the  accomodation  of  their  friends.  Besides  these  gal- 
leries, there  is  a  space  on  the  floor,  confined  by  a  bar,  where 
the  public  are  admitted.  There  are  three  small  doors  for 
common  use,  besides  the  great  one  in  the  front.  The  curtains 
and  chairs  in  this  room  are  of  light  blue  damask.  It  is  in- 
tended to  place  a  statue  of  Liberty  over  the  Speaker's  chair, 


46 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


and  trophies  upon  each  chimney.  After  ascending  the  stairs 
on  the  left  of  the  vestibule,  we  reach  a  lobby  of  19x48  feet, 
finished  with  Tuscan  pilasters ;  this  communicates  with  the 
iron  gallery  before  mentioned,  and  leads  at  one  end  to  the 
galleries  of  the  Representatives'  room,  and  at  the  other  to  the 
Senate  Chamber.  This  room  is  40  feet  long,  30  wide  and  20 
high  with  an  arched  ceiling ;  it  has  three  windows  in  front, 
and  three  back,  to  correspond  to  them ;  those  in  front,  open 
into  a  gallery  12  feet  deep  guarded  with  an  elegant  iron  rail- 
ing. In  this  gallery,  our  illustrious  President,  attended  by 
the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives,  took  his  oath 
of  office,  in  the  face  of  Heaven,  and  in  presence  of  a  large  con- 
course of  people  assembled  in  front  of  the  building.  The 
Senate  Chamber  is  decorated  with  pilasters  etc.,  which  are 
not  of  any  regular  order ;  the  proportions  are  light  and  grace- 
ful ;  the  capitals  are  of  a  fanciful  kind,  the  invention  of  Major 
L'Enfant,  the  architect ;  he  has  appropriated  them  to  this 
building,  for  amidst  their  foliage  appears  a  star  and  rays  ;  and 
a  piece  of  drapery  below  suspends  a  small  medallion  with 
U.  S.  in  a  cipher.  The  idea  is  new  and  the  effect  pleasing; 
and  although  they  cannot  be  said  to  be  of  any  ancient  order, 
we  must  allow  that  they  have  an  appearance  of  magnificence. 
The  ceiling  is  plain,  with  only  a  sun  and  thirteen  stars  in  the 
centre.  The  marble  which  is  used  in  the  chimnies  is  Ameri- 
can, and  for  beauties  of  shades  and  polish,  is  equal  to  any  of 
its  kind  in  Europe.  The  President's  chair  is  at  one  end  of  the 
room,  elevated  about  three  feet  from  the  floor,  under  a  rich 
canopy  of  crimson  damask.  The  arms  of  the  Union  are  to 
be  placed  over  it.  The  chairs  of  the  members  are  arranged 
semicircularly  as  those  in  the  Representatives'  room.  The 
floor  is  covered  with  a  handsome  carpet  and  the  windows  are 
furnished  with  curtains  of  crimson  damask.  Besides  these 
rooms,  there  are  several  others  for  use  and  convenience  ;  a 
library,  lobbies,  and  committee-rooms  above,  and  guard-rooms 
below.  On  one  side  is  a  platform,  level  with  the  floor  of  the 
Senate  Chamber,  which  forms  a  convenient  walk  for  the 
members,  of  more  than  two  hundred  feet  long,  and  is  guarded 
by  an  iron  railing.    We  cannot  close  our  description  without 


General  Description. 


47 


observing  that  great  praise  is  due  to  Major  L'Enfant,  the 
architect,  who  has  surmounted  many  difficulties,  and  has  so 
accomodated  the  additions  to  the  old  parts,  and  so  judi- 
ciously altered  what  he  saw  wrong,  that  he  has  produced 
a  building  uniform  and  consistent  throughout,  and  has 
added  to  great  elegance,  every  convenience  that  could  be 
desired." 

The  architect  of  Federal  Hall  was  Major  Peter  Charles 
L'Enfant  who  was  born  in  France  in  1755  and  came  to 
America  and  joined  the  Continental  army  in  1777.  He  be- 
came a  captain  in  February  1778,  was  severely  wounded  at 
the  siege  of  Savannah  in  1779,  and  received  the  rank  of 
major  in  May  1783.  On  the  12th  of  October  1789  the  Com- 
mon Council  resolved  that  he  should  be  presented  with  the 
thanks  of  the  Corporation,  the  freedom  of  the  city,  and  ten 
acres  of  the  Common  Lands  for  his  services  in  erecting  Fed- 
eral Hall,  and  on  the  30th  of  December  it  was  decided  that 
the  land  should  be  ten  acres  of  Provoost's  land  on  the  Post 
Road  adjoining  the  north  line  of  John  Hardenbrook's  land, 
its  present  situation  being  on  the  east  side  of  Third  Avenue 
between  68th  and  69th  Streets.  On  the  nth  of  May  1790, 
however,  Major  L'Enfant  declined  the  gift  of  land  and  in  1801 
petitioned  for  a  sum  of  money  in  its  stead  but  again  declined 
the  sum  of  $750  which  was  offered  him.  He  was  also  the  de- 
signer of  the  medal  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinati,  and 
author  of  the  original  plan  for  the  City  of  Washington.  In 
18 1 2  he  declined  the  Professorship  of  Engineering  at  West 
Point,  and  died  on  the  14th  of  January  1825  in  Prince  George 
Co.  Maryland.  During  the  construction  of  Federal  Hall  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  added  to  his  popularity  among  the 
mechanics  of  the  city  as,  on  the  26th  of  March  1789,  a  card 
appeared  in  the  N.  Y.  Journal  complaining  that  the  work  of 
upholstering  the  Hall  had  been  given  by  him  to  a  "  menial 
servant  "  of  the  French  ambassador  without  regard  to  a  peti- 
tion for  the  job  presented  by  some  city  decorators.  Such 
"  truckling  to  foreigners  "  was  roundly  denounced  by  the  dis- 
appointed upholsterers.  The  mason-work  upon  the  building 
was  done  by  James  Robinson  and  the  carpenter-work  by  one 


48 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Smith.  Opinions  differed  with  regard  to  the  beauty  of  the 
building.  The  Gazette  of  the  United  States  pronounced  it  to 
be  "  o%n  the  whole  superior  to  any  building  in  America,''  and 
also  announced  that  the  general  appearance  of  the  front  of  it 
was  "  truly  august."  The  Anti-Federalists,  however,  were 
eager  to  express  their  contempt  for  it,  and  everything  con- 
nected with  it,  and  when  the  building  was  decorated  on  the 
4th  of  March  1789  in  honor  of  the  beginning  of  the  new  Con- 
stitution they  declared  that  the  flag  raised  consisted  of  the 
French  colors  over  the  Federal  standard,  the  truth  being  that 
the  flag  had  belonged  to  the  "  Federal  Ship  Hamilton  "  and 
that  the  paint  had  been  washed  off  of  it  by  a  heavy  shower 
during  the  Federal  Procession  in  July  1788.  A  southern 
member  of  this  disappointed  and  embittered  faction  wrote 
from  New  York  to  friends  in  Philadelphia  on  the  12th  of  Feb- 
ruary 1789:  "I  wish  that  you  or  either  of  you  was  in  this 
town  for  a  few  hours  if  it  were  only  to  view  the  Old  New 
Building  nicknamed  Federal  Hall  and  by  others  who  are  ill- 
natured  called  Fool's  Trap.  .  .  Verily  I  believe  that  it  is 
expected  that  this  medley  of  a  house  will  induce  us  to  forget 
that  wrong  is  not  right  and  that  two  and  two  are  just  equal 
to  four."  The  fact  that  it  had  to  be  paid  for  by  a  lottery  also 
afforded  an  opportunity  for  sneers  on  the  part  of  the  Anti- 
Federalists  and  in  July  1790  when  a  portrait  of  Washington 
had  been  ordered  to  be  painted  by  Trumbull  at  an  expense  of 
100  guineas,  "  A  Burgher  whose  eyes  are  open  "  inserted  the 
following  in  the  N.  Y.  Journal  :  "  Is  it  prudent  in  a  city 
which  is  reduced  to  pay  its  debts  by  lottery,  to  incur  the 
superfluous  expences  of  disinterested  flattery  ?  Is  this  canvass 
compliment  to  be  discharged  by  a  Picture  Lottery  and  en- 
trusted to  responsible  and  respectible  commissioners  ?  If  the 
expenses  of  this  disinterested  compliment  are  to  be  discharged 
by  assessments  will  the  citizens  deluded  by  Federal  tricks  and 
oppressed  by  Federal  burdens  chearfully  submit  to  a  Picture 
Tax !  "  The  building  had  little  about  it  to  commend  it  to 
the  architectural  taste  of  the  present  day,  but  the  fact  that 
the  place  of  Washington's  inauguration  and  of  the  meeting  of 
the  first  Congress  under  the  present  Constitution  was  allowed 


General  Description. 


49 


to  fall  into  decay  and  to  be  torn  down  within  the  short  space 
of  twenty-two  years,  cannot  be  too  deeply  regretted.  Con- 
gress met  in  it  for  the  first  time  on  the  4th  of  March  1789, 
and  occupied  it  for  two  sessions,  when,  upon  the  removal  of 
the  Federal  Government  to  Philadelphia,  it  became  the  City 
Hall  and  place  of  meeting  of  the  Courts  and  Legislature,  the 
latter  body  using  it  until  1797.  In  May  1800  the  building  of 
a  new  City  Hall  was  proposed  in  the  Common  Council  and 
the  corner  stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid  by  Mayor 
Edward  Livingston,  assisted  by  Mr.  M'Comb  the  architect, 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  May  26th  1803.  This  stone 
was  laid  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  building  and  the  whole 
structure  was  completed  in  1812.  There  then  being  no  fur- 
ther use  for  the  old  building,  it  was  ordered  to  be  sold,  and 
on  the  6th  of  May  181 2  Bleecker  and  Bibby,  auctioneers,  an- 
nounced that  on  the  13th  of  May  1812,  at  twelve  o'clock,  at 
the  Old  City  Hall  they  would  sell  at  auction  "  Four  lots  of 
Ground  fronting  on  Wall  Street  on  which  the  Hall  stands 
and  adjacent  thereto,"  and  "  The  Old  City  Hall  which  is  to 
be  removed  by  the  purchaser  previous  to  the  15th  of  July 
next."  The  account  of  the  sale  given  in  the  Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser of  May  14th  1812  was  as  follows:  "The  Old  City 
Hall.  This  building  was  sold  at  auction  yesterday  for  425 
dollars  and  one  of  the  lots  on  which  it  now  stands  for  $9,500. 
The  sale  of  the  remaining  lots  was  postponed.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  building  is  not  to  be  left  many  days  in  its 
present  tattered  state."  Nor  was  it  left  many  days.  On  the 
back  of  an  old  engraving  of  the  building,  in  the  possession  of 
the  New  York  Historical  Society,  is  inscribed  :  "  Presented 
to  the  New  York  Historical  Society  by  John  Pintard  on  the 
15th  May  1812,  the  day  in  which  this  Building  was  pros- 
trated, the  materials  having  been  sold  at  auction  to  Mr.  Jin- 
nings  for  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars."  The  pur- 
chaser was  apparently  Mr.  Jonathan  Jinings  of  the  firm  of 
Jinings  and  Mills,  grocers,  at  No.  30  Peck  Slip.  Thus  dis- 
appeared the  building  of  the  greatest  historical  interest  in 
New  York  City.  The  four  lots  of  which  the  premises  con- 
sisted are  numbered  1,  2,  3,  and  4  on  the  map  accompanying 
4 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


the  deeds  of  the  property,  number  one  being  on  the  corner  of 
Nassau  Street.  Their  dimensions  were  respectively  25  ft. 
6  in.,  23  ft.,  26  ft.  6  in.,  and  27  ft.,  front  and  rear,  by  1 12  feet  in 
length,  with  a  right  of  way  over  an  alley  ten  feet  wide  in  the 
rear.  Lot  number  one  was  sold  on  the  13th  of  May  181 2  for 
$9,500  to  Joel  Post  and  John  B.  Lawrence,  druggists,  who 
conveyed  it  on  the  29th  of  January  18 13  for  $12000  to  James 
Eastburn,  Thomas  Kirk,  and  John  Downes.  The  sale  of  the 
other  three  lots  took  place  on  the  28th  of  January  181 3, 
number  two  being  conveyed  to  Kirk,  Eastburn,  and  Downes 
for  $8433.33,  number  three  to  Garrit  Storm  for  $8566.66,  and 
number  four  to  George  Griswold  for  $8499.99.  The  premises 
were  102  feet  wide  on  Wall  Street  but  Federal  Hall  probably 
occupied  but  three  of  the  lots  having  a  frontage  of  75  feet. 
The  appearance  of  the  property  was  completely  changed  by  the 
3rd  of  December  18 13  as  on  the  morning  of  that  day  a  nearly 
completed  new  brick  building  erected  on  lots  numbers  one 
and  two  by  Eastburn  and  Kirk,  booksellers,  was  badly  dam- 
aged by  fire.  That  firm,  however,  had  moved  into  this  new 
building  in  February  18 14,  and  held  the  property  until  the 
2nd  of  December  1816  when  they  sold  it  to  the  United  States 
Government  for  $75000,  subject  to  two  mortgages  aggregating 
$35000,  to  be  used  as  a  custom-house.  Garrit  Storm,  in 
April  1825,  conveyed  Lot  No.  3  to  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
Canal  Co.  for  $29000,  and  that  Company,  in  December  1832, 
conveyed  it  to  the  United  States  Government  for  $47000. 
The  present  Sub-Treasury  building  which  now  occupies  these 
and  other  lots  was  begun  in  May  1834  and  finished  in  May 
1 841. 

Many  of  the  residences  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city  had 
been  ruined  during  the  Revolution  and  but  few  of  them  were 
sufficiently  near  to  the  closely  inhabited  portion  of  the  city  to 
appear  on  the  city  map  of  1789.  One  of  these  country  seats 
was  that  of  Mr.  Rutgers,  running  back  from  Cherry  Street  to 
the  present  Henry  Street,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
present  Pike  Street  and  on  the  east  by  the  present  Clinton 
Street.  The  house  itself  did  not  entirely  disappear  until  1875. 
To  the  east  of  this  on  the  bank  of  the  East  River  was  the 


General  Description. 


5i 


residence  of  Mr.  Byvanck,  and  to  the  north,  on  Grand  Street 
near  the  present  Clinton  Street,  was  that  of  Mr.  Jones.  The 
most  highly  cultivated  country  place  near  the  city  was  that 
of  Baron  Frederick  Charles  Hans  Bruno  Poelnitz,  comprising 
22^  acres  of  land  situated  on  the  present  Broadway  between 
Eighth  and  Tenth  Streets,  the  rear  porch  of  the  house  being 
destroyed  by  the  cutting  through  of  Broadway.  This  place 
had  been  purchased  in  1766  by  Lieut.  Governor  Elliot  and 
by  him  was  called  "  Minto,"  and  in  1789  was  devoted  to 
fancy  farming  by  Baron  Poelnitz,  who  offered  it  for  sale  in 
that  year.  The  advertisement  of  it  stated  that  it  was  about 
two  miles  from  the  city  and  abounded  with  a  greater  variety 
of  the  choicest  fruit  trees  and  flowering  shrubs  than  perhaps 
any  other  place  in  the  state,  while  it  possessed  the  richest  soil 
of  any  estate  on  Manhattan  Island.  In  1790  it  was  sold  to 
Robert  R.  Randall  for  £5000  and  by  his  will  in  1801  it  was 
devoted  to  the  purposes  of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  city  near  the  present  Laight  and  Hudson 
Streets  was  the  property  of  Mr.  Lispenard,  and  on  the  south 
east  corner  of  Varick  and  Charlton  Streets  was  the  Richmond 
Hill  Mansion,  occupied  in  1789  by  Vice-President  Adams  and 
afterwards  the  residence  of  Aaron  Burr.  Of  this  place  Mrs. 
Adams  wrote  in  1790:  "The  venerable  oaks  and  broken 
ground,  covered  with  wild  shrubs,  which  surround  me,  give  a 
natural  beauty  to  the  spot  which  is  truly  enchanting.  A 
lovely  variety  of  birds  serenade  me  morning  and  evening,  re- 
joicing in  their  liberty  and  security,  for  I  have,  as  much  as 
possible,  prohibited  the  grounds  from  invasion,  and  sometimes 
almost  wished  for  game  laws,  when  my  orders  have  not  been 
sufficiently  regarded.  The  partridge,  the  woodcock,  and  the 
pigeon  are  too  great  temptations  to  the  sportsmen  to  with- 
stand." The  cultivated  shrubs  which  were  sold  in  1789  in- 
cluded shaddock,  citron,  lemon,  olive,  lime  and  green  bay 
trees ;  large  alotis,  large  myrtle,  box  leaf,  small  myrtle,  tea 
plant,  pomegranate,  creeping  ceres,  Arabian  jasmine,  balm  of 
Gilead,  rosemary,  and  lavender ;  common,  striped,  and  par- 
tridge breast  aloe,  passion  flower,  oleander,  polyanthus,  auri- 
cula, and  carnation  pink,    William  Prince  offered  for  sale,  at 


52 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Flushing  Landing,  fruit  trees  for  is.  6d.  each,  and  a  great 
variety  of  roses  and  plants ;  but  when  Washington  visited 
this  nursery  on  the  10th  of  October  1789  he  expressed  his 
disappointment  at  all  that  he  saw  with  the  exception  of  the 
young  fruit  trees,  the  shrubs  being  trifling  and  the  flowers  few 
in  number. 


II. 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics. 


In  1789  the  city  had  its  corporate  existence  by  virtue  of 
the  Dongan  charter  of  1686,  a  confirmatory  Act  of  1708,  the 
Montgomerie  charter  of  1730,  and  the  State  Constitution  of 
1777.  The  city  government  consisted  of  a  Mayor,  Recorder, 
seven  Aldermen,  and  seven  Assistant  Aldermen.  The  su- 
preme appointing  power  in  the  State  was  lodged  in  the  Coun- 
cil of  Appointment  which  consisted  of  the  Governor  and  four 
State  Senators,  chosen  from  the  Senate  by  the  Legislature, 
one  from  each  of  the  four  senatorial  districts  of  the  State.  In 
1789  none  of  these  four  Senators  resided  in  New  York  City. 
The  Mayor,  Sheriff,  and  Coroner  were  appointed  annually  by 
the  Council  of  Appointment  until  its  abolition  in  182 1.  The 
Recorder  was  appointed  by  the  Council  at  its  pleasure.  In 
1 83 1  he  ceased  to  have  a  voice  in  the  city  government  and 
in  1834  the  Mayor  was  first  elected  by  the  people.  The  Al- 
dermen and  Assistant  Aldermen  were  elected  by  the  people, 
the  voters,  by  an  Act  passed  February  23rd  1787,  being  re- 
quired to  be  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  freemen  of  the  city 
for  three  months  and  residents  of  the  ward  in  which  they 
voted  for  one  month  before  the  election.  There  was  also  a 
property  qualification  requiring  them  to  be  freeholders  in  their 
own  or  their  wives'  right  in  lands  or  tenements  to  the  value 
of  £20  over  and  above  all  debts  charged  thereon,  situated  in 
the  ward  in  which  they  voted,  and  in  their  possession  for  one 
month  before  the  election  unless  acquired  by  descent  or  de- 
vize. Persons  owning  property  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway 
were  to  vote  in  the  West  Ward,  even  if  their  property  ex- 
tended into  the  North  Ward.  The  election  for  city  officers 
took  place  on  the  29th  of  September,  inspectors  of  election 


54 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


for  each  ward  being  appointed  by  the  Common  Council  a 
week  before  the  election.  The  Aldermen  and  Assistants  who 
were  in  office  from  September  29th  1788  to  the  same  date  in 
1789  were : 


Aldermen. 
Jeremiah  Wool. 
Peter  Elting. 
John  Lawrence. 
Wm.  W.  Gilbert. 
John  Wylley. 
Benjamin  Blagge. 
Nicholas  Bayard. 


Ward. 

South. 

Dock. 

East. 

West. 

North. 

Montgomerie. 
Out. 


Assistants. 
Joseph  Pierson. 
Winant  Van  Zandt. 
James  Nicholson. 
Abraham  Van  Gelder. 
George  Janeway. 
Tobias  Van  Zandt. 
John  Quackenboss. 


Of  these  Benjamin  Blagge  was  the  most  experienced,  hav- 
ing been  an  Alderman  since  1766.  Those  elected  on  the  29th 
of  September  1789  were  : 


Aldermen. 
Jeremiah  Wool. 
Winant  Van  Zant. 
Daniel  McCormick. 
Isaac  Stoutenburg. 
John  Wylley. 
Theophilus  Beekman. 
Nicholas  Bayard. 


Ward. 

South. 

Dock. 

East. 

West. 

North. 

Montgomerie. 
Out. 


Assistants. 
John  Van  Dyck. 
Peter  T.  Curtenius. 
John  Pintard. 
Wm.  T.  Els  worth. 
George  Janeway. 
Tobias  Van  Zandt. 
Stephen  McCrea. 


Of  these  Nicholas  Bayard  served  the  longest  term  being 
elected  continuously  from  1785  until  1797.  The  City  Clerk 
from  1784  to  1 801  was  Robert  Benson,  whose  office  in  1789 
was  at  No.  22  Maiden  Lane.  By  a  city  ordinance  of  March 
1 6th  1784  the  city  seal,  the  seal  of  the  mayor's  court,  and  the 
seal  of  mayoralty  had  been  changed  by  defacing  the  imperial 
crown  and  placing  in  its  stead  the  crest  of  the  Arms  of  the 
State  of  New  York, — a  semiglobe  with  a  soaring  eagle  there- 
on. On  the  8th  of  December  1683  the  city  had  been  divided 
into  six  wards,  and  the  boundaries  of  the  seventh,  the  Mont- 
gomerie Ward,  had  been  denned  by  the  charter  of  1730.  In 
1789  the  South  Ward  was  bounded  by  a  line  along  the  centre 
of  Broad  Street  from  the  East  River  to  the  centre  of  Wall 
Street,  thence  running  west  to  New  Street,  down  New  Street 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics. 


55 


to  Beaver,  and  thence  nearly  west  to  the  North  River.  The 
Dock  Ward  was  bounded  by  Broad,  Wall,  Smith  (William) 
Streets,  and  the  East  River.  The  East  Ward  was  bounded 
by  a  line  running  from  Old  Slip  along  Smith  and  William 
Streets  to  John  Street  and  down  John  Street  to  Burling  Slip. 
Montgomerie  Ward  was  very  irregular  in  shape.  Its  boun- 
dary line  ran  from  Burling  Slip  to  the  junction  of  John  and 
William  Streets,  along  William  Street  to  Frankfort,  thence 
through  the  blocks  to  the  south  end  of  the  Fresh  Water,  thence 
east  to  the  Junction  of  Chatham  and  Roosevelt  Streets,  down 
Roosevelt  Street  to  Cherry,  along  Cherry  Street  one  block  to 
James  Street  and  down  the  latter  to  New  Slip.  The  North 
Ward  was  bounded  on  the  east  by  William  Street  from  Wall 
to  Frankfort  Street  and  a  line  from  the  latter  street  to  the 
south  end  of  the  Fresh  Water,  whence  its  line  ran  almost  due 
north  to  Broadway,  thence  south,  parallel  with  Broadway  and 
in  the  rear  of  the  houses  on  its  east  side,  to  Wall  Street,  and 
along  it  to  William  Street.  The  West  Ward  included  the 
portion  of  the  city  north  of  the  line  of  Beaver  Street  and  west 
of  Broadway  and  the  North  Ward.  The  Out  Ward  lay  to 
the  east  of  Broadway  and  included  the  rest  of  the  island  north 
of  the  Montgomerie  and  North  Wards,  being  divided  into  the 
Bowery  and  Harlem  Divisions.  By  an  Act  of  February  28th 
1 791,  the  boundaries  of  the  wards  were  somewhat  changed 
and  they  were  designated  by  the  numbers  one  to  seven.  Ac- 
cording to  the  census  of  1790  Montgomerie  Ward  was  the 
most  thickly  populated  ward  in  the  city,  containing  6271  in- 
habitants. It  also  seems  to  have  contained  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  poor  people,  for  in  January  1789,  when  the  Aldermen 
distributed  £100  among  the  poor,  the  largest  share,  which  was 
£20,  was  to  be  given  to  this  ward,  while  the  smallest  shares 
of  £&  each  were  to  be  given  to  the  Dock  and  East  Wards. 
The  East  Ward  contained  the  wealthiest  inhabitants,  the  tax 
of  £5784  5s.  iod.  upon  it  in  1789  being  larger  than  that  upon 
any  other  ward.  During  the  year  the  taxes  upon  the  city 
were  that  granted  on  the  22nd  of  January  of  £13000  for  the 
building  of  Federal  Hall,  and  another,  granted  on  the  2nd  of 
February,  of  £6000  for  the  maintenance  of  the  poor,  the 


0 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Bridewell,  roads,  and  improvement  of  the  streets,  and  of  ^"4000 
for  the  payment  of  watchmen  and  the  care  of  the  lamps. 

The  Mayor  of  the  city  from  1783  until  September  1789 
was  James  Duane,  son  of  Anthony  Duane  and  Altea  Ket- 
tletas.  Mr.  Duane  was  born  in  New  York  City  on  the  6th  of 
February  1733  and  studied  law  with  James  Alexander,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  lawyers  in  the  colony.  In  1789  he  was 
one  of  the  oldest  city  practitioners  in  the  Supreme  Court, 
having  been  admitted  to  practice  in  that  court  on  the  3rd  of 
August  1754.  During  the  Revolution  he  was  an  active  pa- 
triot, being  a  member  of  the  first  Continental  Congress  in 
1774,  and  also  from  1780  to  1782,  and  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Provincial  Convention  of  1776  and  1777.  He  left  the 
city  in  June  1776  and  did  not  return  until  November  1783, 
being  appointed  its  mayor  on  the  5th  of  February  1784.  He 
was  also  a  State  Senator  from  1783  until  1790,  except  in  the 
years  1786  and  1787,  and  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention at  Poughkeepsie  in  1788  in  which  he  was  a  strong 
supporter  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  He  occupied  the  mayoralty  until  September  1789 
when  he  was  appointed  the  first  Judge  of  the  United  States 
District  Court  in  New  York.  He  resigned  this  office  on  the 
8th  of  April  1794  and  at  the  same  time  retired  from  the  war- 
denship  of  Trinity  Church  which  he  had  held  for  ten  years. 
He  then  retired  to  Schenectady  and  died  at  Duanesburgh  on 
the  first  of  February  1796.  The  Mayor's  salary  was  derived 
from  fees  which  during  the  last  year  of  Mr.  Duane's  incum- 
bency amounted  to  about  ^"800,  but  the  amount  varied  in  dif- 
ferent years,  and  in  December  1789  Mr.  Varick,  his  successor, 
agreed  to  take  a  fixed  salary  of  £600  a  year. 

The  Recorder  of  the  city  from  1783  until  1789  was  Rich- 
ard Varick  who  was  born  at  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  on  the  25th 
of  March  1753.  Before  the  Revolution  he  became  a  lawyer 
in  New  York  City,  and  during  the  war  attained  to  the  rank 
of  colonel,  acting  at  times  as  the  military  secretary  of  Gen. 
Schuyler  and  the  recording  secretary  of  Gen.  Washington. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  Recorder,  he  was  a 
member  of  assembly  in  1787  and  1788,  and  in  June  1789  was 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics.  57 

appointed  Attorney  General  of  the  State,  but  in  September  of 
that  year  succeeded  Mr.  Duane  as  Mayor,  Samuel  Jones  being 
appointed  Recorder  and  Aaron  Burr  Attorney  General.  Mr. 
Varick  occupied  the  Mayoralty  until  1801  and  died  in  Jersey 
City  on  the  30th  of  July  183 1.  Mr.  Jones  continued  to  be 
Recorder  until  1796.  The  Sheriff  of  the  city  was  Robert 
Boyd,  who  held  that  office  from  1787  until  1791.  The  City 
Chamberlain  chosen  by  the  Mayor,  four  or  more  Aldermen 
and  four  or  more  Assistant  Aldermen,  was  Daniel  Phoenix, 
who  held  that  office  from  1784  until  1809.  Mr.  Phoenix  was 
born  in  the  city  in  1742  and,  entering  into  business  early  in 
life,  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent  merchants 
of  New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  and  a 
patriot  during  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  from  1770  until  1812;  a  trustee  and 
manager  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Wall  Street  Presbyterian 
Church  from  1772  until  1812  ;  a  Governor  of  the  N.  Y.  Hos- 
pital, and  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Society  Library.  He 
was  also  an  alderman  in  1783  and  1784.    He  died  in  1812. 

The  courts  which  sat  in  New  York  in  1789  were  the  Court 
of  Chancery,  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature,  the  Mayor's 
Court,  the  Court  of  Sessions,  the  Court  of  Probates,  the  Court 
of  Admiralty,  and  the  United  States  District  Court.  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  the  Chancellor,  was  appointed  to  that  office  by 
the  State  Convention  on  the  5th  of  May  1777  and  received 
his  commission  on  the  17th  of  October  in  the  same  year.  He 
was  born  in  New  York  on  the  27th  of  November  1747,  gradu- 
ated from  King's  College  in  1765,  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Oc- 
tober 1773,  and  soon  afterwards  appointed  Recorder  of  the 
city,  but  was  removed  from  that  office  in  1775,  because  of  his 
patriotism.  He  was  one  of  the  committee  who  prepared  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  was  one  of  the  framers  of 
the  N.  Y.  State  Constitution  of  1777.  In  October  of  that 
year  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  New  York  Convention  for 
his  faithful  services  in  the  Continental  Congress,  and  from 
1 78 1  to  1783  was  Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs.  He  declined 
the  office  of  Minister  to  France  in  1794,  but  resigned  the 
Chancellorship  in  1801  to  accept  it,  remaining  in  France  until 


58 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


1805.  He  died  on  the  26th  of  February  18 13.  One  of  his 
biographers  states  that  he  was  <c  tall  and  well-proportioned;  of 
imposing  presence,  easy  and  pleasant  in  discourse,  and  in 
manner  graceful  and  courteous.  His  private  life  was  imbued 
with  pure  morals  and  true  piety,  as  his  public  had  been  with 
integrity  and  patriotism.  He  was  generous  to  the  poor,  dis- 
interested in  his  friendship,  and  honorable  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellowmen."  The  business  of  the  Court  of  Chancery 
was  very  small,  and  was  chiefly  conducted  at  the  Chancellor's 
house,  No.  3  Broadway.  The  salary  of  the  Chancellor  was 
£500  a  year.  In  1789  the  Masters  in  Chancery  residing  in 
the  city  were  John  Ray  and  James  M.  Hughes  ;  the  Register 
was  William  Cock,  and  the  Examiner  was  Edward  Dunscomb. 
The  Court  of  Chancery  ceased  to  exist  on  the  first  Monday 
in  July  1847. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  was  established  in  1691 
and  in  1789  consisted  of  a  Chief  Justice  and  two  Judges  who, 
by  the  Constitution  of  1777,  were  to  hold  office  during  good 
behavior  until  the  age  of  sixty  years.  By  an  Act  passed 
April  7th  1785  the  sessions  of  this  court  in  New  York  City 
were  to  be  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  January  and  April, 
the  January  session  to  last  until  the  Saturday  of  the  next 
week,  and  the  April  session  until  the  end  of  the  Saturday  in 
the  third  week  following.  The  Clerk's  Office  was  to  be  in 
New  York.  By  Act  of  February  22nd  1788  the  Court  of 
Oyer  and  Terminer,  consisting  of  any  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  together  with  the  Mayor,  Recorder  and  Aldermen,  or 
any  three  of  them,  was  to  be  opened  for  criminal  business  at 
the  same  time  as  the  Circuit  Court,  and  to  continue  until  its 
business  was  dispatched.  The  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  1789  was  Richard  Morris  who  was  appointed  to  that 
office  on  the  23rd  of  October  1779  and  held  it  until  his  retire- 
ment at  the  age  of  sixty  in  September  1790.  He  was  born  in 
Morrisania  on  the  15th  of  August  1730,  graduated  from  Yale 
College  in  1748,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  on  the  29th  of  April 
1752.  From  1762  until  1775  he  was  Judge  of  Vice- Admiralty 
but  resigned  through  patriotic  motives.  From  1777  to  1779 
he  was  a  State  Senator.    He  retired  to  Westchester  County 


City  Government. — M ilitia. — Politics. 


59 


in  September  1790  and  died  at  Scarsdale  on  the  nth  of  April 
18 10.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No.  27  Nassau  Street.  The  As- 
sociate Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1789  were  Robert 
Yates  of  Albany  and  John  Sloss  Hobart  of  New  York. 
Judge  Yates  was  born  in  Schenectady  on  the  27th  of  Janu- 
ary 1738  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  the  9th  of  May  1760. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Albany  Committee  of 
Safety  during  the  Revolution,  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Congress,  and  of  the  State  Convention  which  framed  the 
State  Constitution  of  1777.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Convention  which  framed  the  U.  S.  Constitution,  but  op- 
posed it  and  withdrew  from  the  Convention  in  July  1786.  He 
was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  on  the  8th  of 
May  1777,  received  his  commission  in  the  following  October, 
and  remained  on  the  bench  until  his  sixtieth  year  in  January 
1798,  having  become  Chief  Justice  in  September  1790.  He 
died  in  Albany  on  the  9th  of  September  1801.  John  Sloss 
Hobart  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Conn.,  in  February  1738,  and 
was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1757.  In  1765  he  ap- 
peared as  a  Son  of  Liberty  in  New  York,  and  in  1775  and 
1776  was  a  deputy  from  Suffolk  County  to  the  Provincial 
Congress.  He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  which  drew 
the  first  State  Constitution  and  a  member  of  the  Poughkeep- 
sie  Convention  in  1788.  He  was  appointed  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  in  May  1777,  commissioned  in  the  following  Oc- 
tober, and  resigned  the  office  at  the  age  of  sixty  years  in 
February  1798.  In  the  same  year  he  became  United  States 
Senator  but  resigned  in  1799  upon  being  appointed  U.  S. 
District  Court  Judge.  He  died  in  New  York  on  the  4th  of 
February  1805.  The  salary  of  all  the  Supreme  Court  judges 
was  £5 00  a  year.  The  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  John 
McKesson,  his  residence  in  1789  being  at  No.  44  Broadway. 
The  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  was  somewhat  changed  in 
1 82 1  and  was  abolished  in  1846. 

The  Mayor's  Court  was  the  oldest  court  in  the  city,  hav- 
ing its  origin  in  the  time  of  the  Dutch  supremacy  in  New 
York,  and  under  the  management  of  Mayor  Duane  it  had 
become  the  most  highly  esteemed  court  in  the  city.    By  an 


6o 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Act  passed  February  5th  1787,  its  terms  were  to  last  for  three 
days,  and  it  was  empowered  to  hear  all  actions,  real,  personal 
and  mixed,  arising  in  the  city  and  county.  It  was  constituted 
of  the  Mayor,  Recorder,  and  Aldermen,  or  any  three  of  them, 
of  whom  the  Mayor  or  Recorder  should  always  be  one.  The 
Court  of  General  Sessions,  composed  of  the  same  persons, 
was  held  on  the  first  Tuesdays  in  February,  May,  August, 
and  November,  its  sitting  lasting  until  the  following  Tues- 
day. The  number  of  indictments  upon  which  trial  was  had 
in  the  Courts  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  and  General  Sessions 
during  the  year  1789  was  103,  seventeen  for  forgery  and  four- 
teen for  grand  larceny,  being  the  largest  numbers  for  any  one 
offence. 

The  Court  of  Probates  held  original  jurisdiction  in  cases 
of  decease  out  of  the  State  or  of  decease  of  non-residents 
within  the  State  and  appellate  jurisdiction  over  the  surro- 
gates. Its  judge,  from  1787  to  1799  was  Peter  Ogilvie,  who 
in  May  1789  removed  his  orifice  to  No.  24  John  Street.  By 
Act  of  March  16th  1778  such  judges  were  to  have  the  same 
powers  as  had  been  exercised  by  the  colonial  governors  in  the 
matter  of  probate,  except  as  to  the  appointment  of  surrogates, 
who  in  the  future  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  Council  of 
Appointment.  The  court  was  abolished  by  act  of  March  21st 
1823  and  its  jurisdiction  conferred  upon  the  Chancellor.  The 
Surrogate,  who  from  1787  to  1801  was  David  Gelston,  had 
full  power  in  the  matter  of  the  wills  of  citizens  dying  within 
the  State.  Mr.  Gelston,  who  held  several  important  offices 
at  various  times,  died  on  the  21st  of  August  1828,  at  the  age 
of  85  years. 

The  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Admiralty  was  Lewis  Graham, 
who  had  been  appointed  to  that  office  in  August  1776,  re- 
ceived his  commission  on  the  17th  of  February  1778,  and  held 
it  until  the  court  ceased  to  exist  when  the  U.S.  Constitu- 
tion came  into  effect.  He  died  at  Westchester  in  October 
1793. 

The  United  States  Court  for  the  District  of  New  York 
held  its  first  session  under  Judge  James  Duane  on  the  3rd  of 
November  1789,  when  the  Judge  and  several  attorneys  took 


City '  G  over  71  mcnt. — Mil it  ia .  — Pol  it  ics. 


61 


the  oath  of  office,  but  there  being  no  further  business  before 
the  Court  it  at  once  adjourned. 

By  an  Act  passed  January  30th  1787  the  Mayor,  Re- 
corder, and  Aldermen  were  given  the  powers  of  Justices  of 
the  Peace.  The  regular  officers  of  that  kind  in  1789  were 
James  M.  Hughes,  George  Bond,  John  Keefe,  Nathaniel 
Lawrence,  and  William  Wilcox.  The  Coroner  in  1789  was 
Ephraim  Braisher,  a  goldsmith  who  resided  at  No.  79  Queen 
Street.  The  roll  of  New  York  attorneys  who  had  in  1789 
been  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  contained,  in 
the  month  of  July,  122  names,  twenty-eight  new  attorneys 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  during  1789.  Among  the  distin- 
guished names  upon  this  roll  were  those  of  James  Riker,  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  April  30th  1761  ;  Richard  N.  Harrison, 
January  21st  1769;  Robert  Morris,  October  26th  1771  ;  John 
Jay,  October  31st  1768;  Abraham  W.  De  Peyster,  May  2nd 
1767;  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman;  Egbert  Benson;  John  Coz- 
ine,  May  1st  1773  ;  Robert  Troup,  April  1782  ;  Samuel  Jones; 
Aaron  Burr,  January  1782;  Alexander  Hamilton,  July  1782; 
Edward  Livingston,  Brockholst  Livingston,  James  Kent,  Jan- 
uary 1785  ;  and  John  Lawrence,  January  21st  1775.  By  an 
Act  of  February  20th  1787  no  person  was  to  be  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  any  court  unless  he  had  been  brought  up  in  that 
court  or  was  otherwise  well  practiced  in  soliciting  causes  and 
had  been  found  by  his  dealings  to  be  skilful  and  honest. 

The  City  Watch  in  1789  was  under  the  control  of  the 
Common  Council  and  consisted  of  about  forty-five  men  in 
regular  service,  twenty  extra  men  being  added  on  the  31st  of 
December  1788,  but  discharged  on  the  7th  of  April  1789. 
On  the  latter  date  Mr.  Weissenfels,  one  of  the  captains  of  the 
watch,  was  called  before  the  Common  Council  on  a  charge  of 
irregularity  in  his  watch,  and,  after  stating  that  because  of  his 
advanced  age  he  was  unable  to  do  better,  requested  that  he 
either  be  allowed  to  resign  or  be  discharged.  He  was  there- 
upon discharged  and  James  Culbertson  was  appointed  in  his 
place.  On  the  13th  of  April  1789  James  Burras,  the  high- 
constable,  was  also  removed  from  office  for  total  neglect  of 
his  duty,  and  the  Mayor  appointed  Mr.  Culbertson  to  that 


62 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


position.  He  apparently  commanded  one  half  of  the  watch, 
the  other  half  being  in  command  of  Bartholomew  Skaats. 
The  captains  received  eight  shillings  a  night  and  the  men 
three  shillings  in  summer,  one  shilling  a  night  being  added 
to  the  pay  of  each  in  winter.  In  January  1789,  at  the  request 
of  Mr.  Seton,  one  watchman  was  posted  at  the  Bank,  and  on 
the  23rd  of  October  two  men  were  added  to  the  night  watch. 
One  watch-house  was  in  a  store  hired  of  Isaac  Levy  and  the 
other  was  erected  in  1789,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Wall 
and  Broad  Streets.  Footpads  were  abundant  and  were  al- 
ways stated  in  the  newspapers  to  be  "  wheelbarrow  men  "  who 
had  escaped  from  the  Philadelphia  prisons.  On  one  occasion 
a  farmer  created  great  excitement  by  announcing  that  on  his 
way  to  the  city  in  the  early  morning  he  had  been  stopped  by 
a  gang  of  villains,  who,  after  questioning  him  closely  allowed 
him  to  depart  unharmed  ;  but,  on  the  next  day,  the  high- 
constable  issued  a  card  stating  that  the  gang  of  villains  had 
consisted  of  himself  and  his  men,  who  had  been  upon  impor- 
tant secret  service  for  the  city.  At  times,  however,  the  rob- 
bers came  to  grief,  for  on  the  29th  of  September  1789  the 
Common  Council  awarded  to  watchmen  Culbertson,  t 

Schofield  and  Gobel  for  apprehending  dangerous  robbers  at 
night,  and  on  the  16th  of  December,  the  same  sum  was  paid 
to  Alexander  Lamb  and  two  other  watchmen  for  like  services. 
In  November  1789  John  Houseman  received  £1  16s.  for 
painting  the  watchmen's  caps.  In  addition  to  keeping  the 
streets  clean,  it  was  also  desired  that  the  onerous  task  of 
keeping  them  free  from  pigs  should  devolve  upon  the  high 
constable,  but  he  seems  to  have  escaped  that  duty.  On  the 
20th  of  September  1786  an  ordinance  was  passed  for  the  for- 
feiture of  hogs  found  running  in  the  streets,  which  was  re- 
newed in  February  1789  in  effect  thus  described  by  a  news- 
paper rhymster : 

"  Oyes  !  Oyes  !  Oyes  ! 

This  is  to  give  notice, 
To  all  Hogs,  Pigs,  Swine  and  their  Masters, 
That  from  the  first  of  February  '89, 
If  any  person  suffer  his,  her,  or  their  swine 


City  Government. — Mil itia. — Politics. 


63 


To  gallop  about  the  streets  at  large, 
Full  twenty  shillings  is  the  charge 

For  each  offence  ; 
To  be  paid  (by  firm  and  special  order 
Of  our  good  Aldermen  and  Recorder) 
To  the  informer's  use,  with  all  expence  ; 
Otherwise  HE  shall  have  free  leave  to  dine 
Upon  the  said  arrested  swine, 
Send  them  to  jail,  or  give  t'  the  poor, 
For  which — '  The  Lord  encrease  his  store.'" 

Although  there  was  a  dog-tax  of  eight  shillings,  dogs  too 
seem  to  have  been  plentiful,  for  in  July  an  exasperated  citi- 
zen declared  that  the  hog  nuisance  was  increasing  instead  of 
being  remedied,  and  that  the  inhabitants  were  deprived  of 
their  sleep  by  the  squeaking  of  pigs  and  the  barking  of  dogs 
in  pursuit  of  them  ;  what  was  everybody's  business  was  no- 
body's business,  but  if  the  matter  were  placed  in  charge  of  the 
high-constable  it  might  be  remedied. 

The  Fire  Department  in  1789  consisted  of  about  300  men, 
the  Common  Council  having  been  authorized  to  appoint  that 
number  by  an  Act  passed  March  19th  1787.  They  were  to 
be  subject  to  removal  at  any  time  and  exempt  from  constable, 
militia  and  jury  duty.  The  engineers  or  superintendents  of 
the  department  were  William  J.  Elsworth,  John  Stagg,  Fran- 
cis Bassett,  Isaac  Mead,  and  John  Quackenboss,  but  the  first- 
named  seems  to  have  been  the  head  of  the  department.  On 
the  1 2th  of  September  1789  he  received  £106  10s.  for  one 
year's  superintendence  and  repair  of  fire-engines.  There  were 
seventeen  engine  companies,  each  having  a  foreman  and  as- 
sistant, and  two  hook  and  ladder  companies.  The  first  fire- 
engines  appeared  in  the  city  in  December  1731,  having  been 
imported  from  London;  in  1789,  however,  those  used  were 
probably  of  American  manufacture,  as  two  advertisements  of 
them  appeared  in  the  newspapers.  In  October,  George 
Mason,  a  Philadelphia  enginemaker,  advertised  several  sizes 
of  fire-engines,  the  largest  of  which  held  175  gallons  of  water 
and  threw  a  part  of  the  stream  175  feet.  It  required  eighteen 
men  to  work  it,  cost  £150,  and  was  warranted  for  seven  years. 


64 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


In  November,  William  J.  Elsworth  advertised  fire-engines 
made  in  New  York  for  sale  as  cheap  as  they  could  be  obtained 
elsewhere  in  America  or  imported  from  Europe.  Mr.  Els- 
worth remained  at  the  head  of  the  fire  department  until  181 1. 
At  fires,  of  which  there  were  very  few  in  1789,  the  citizens 
and  firemen  formed  a  line  with  buckets  from  the  nearest  well 
or  pump  to  the  engine,  whence  the  foreman  directed  the 
stream  upon  the  flames.  On  such  occasions  the  members  of 
the  Common  Council  were  authorized  to  direct  the  work  of 
the  firemen,  and  they  expected  to  be  obeyed,  as  on  the  25th 
of  February  1789  George  Seal,  one  of  the  firemen  was  re- 
moved for  disobeying  orders  and  for  disrespect  to  a  magistrate 
at  a  fire.  This  incident  was  followed  by  a  resolution  that  no 
one  under  thirty  years  of  age  should  be  appointed  as  a  fireman, 
but  this  limitation  was  repealed  on  the  13th  of  November. 
Every  house  having  between  three  and  six  fireplaces  was  to 
have  two  leathern  fire-buckets ;  those  having  six  or  less  than 
nine  fireplaces,  four  buckets ;  and  those  having  nine  or  more 
fireplaces,  six  buckets,  the  cost  of  which  was  to  be  allowed  by 
the  landlord  out  of  the  rent.  The  penalty  for  not  having 
buckets  was  six  shillings  fine  a  month  for  each  bucket  that 
was  lacking.  The  buckets  were  marked  with  the  owner's 
name  and  after  a  fire  were  collected  in  one  place  whence  the 
owner  picked  out  his  property.  Some  of  the  fire  companies 
also  carried  bags  in  which  to  remove  property  from  burning 
buildings.  The  largest  fire  in  1789  was  on  the  4th  of  Novem- 
ber when  two  houses  on  Great  George  Street  near  the  Bride- 
well were  destroyed,  and  the  report  being  made  that  the  fire 
had  started  from  a  crack  in  the  chimney,  the  owner,  Mr.  Dug- 
gan,  published  affidavits  by  six  masons  that  no  such  crack 
could  be  found.  His  anxiety  on  the  subject  was  probably 
caused  by  a  provision  for  forty  shillings  fine  in  case  a  chimney 
caught  fire  from  lack  of  attention.  An  Act  of  March  15th 
1788  forbade  the  storage  of  gunpowder  in  a  larger  quantity 
than  28  pounds  in  any  one  place  less  than  a  mile  from  the 
City  Hall,  except  in  the  powder-house,  and  those  28  pounds 
were  to  be  kept  in  jugs  containing  seven  pounds  each.  By  a 
city  ordinance  of  October  30th  1789  chimney  and  fireplace  in- 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics. 


spectors  were  appointed,  without  whose  permission  no  stove 
could  be  set  up  under  a  penalty  of  twenty  shillings  fine. 

The  militia  of  the  State  was  organized  under  an  Act 
passed  April  4th  1786  requiring  that  every  citizen  above  six- 
teen years  of  age  and  under  forty-five  should  be  enrolled  in  a 
militia  company  within  four  months,  and  within  three  months 
after  enrollment  should  provide  himself,  at  his  own  expense, 
with  a  good  musket  and  accoutrements.  Each  brigade  was  to 
be  commanded  by  a  brigadier-general  and  to  have  connected 
with  it  one  company  of  artillery,  consisting  of  sixty-four  men 
including  officers,  and  one  troop  of  horse  consisting  of  fifty- 
five  men.  including  officers.  These  companies  were  to  be 
clothed,  at  their  own  expense,  in  regimentals  of  a  style  to  be 
determined  by  the  brigadier-general.  Each  regiment  of  in- 
fantry was  to  be  commanded  by  one  lieutenant-colonel  com- 
mandant and  two  majors,  and  was  to  consist  of  two  battalions 
of  four  companies  each,  the  companies  consisting  of  eleven  of- 
ficers, a  drummer,  a  fifer,  and  not  less  than  sixty-five  privates. 
There  were  also  to  be  connected  with  each  regiment  two 
light  infantry  companies  of  volunteers,  and  four  regiments 
thus  constituted  were  to  form  a  brigade.  The  militia  was  to 
rendezvous  four  times  a  year  for  training  and  discipline.  The 
City  of  New  York  was  also  to  raise  one  regiment  of  artillery 
to  consist  of  as  many  companies  as  the  commander-in-chief 
might  consider  necessary,  not  to  exceed  four,  which  were  to 
be  called  out  for  exercise  at  least  six  times  a  year.  The  uni- 
forms of  general  officers  were  dark  blue  coats  with  buff  fac- 
ings, linings,  collars,  and  cuffs,  yellow  buttons,  and  buff  under- 
clothes. Regimental  officers  of  infantry  wore  the  same  style 
of  uniform  with  white  trimmings  and  underclothes,  and  staff 
officers  wore  the  same  as  the  general  officers  without  facings 
and  cuffs  to  their  coats.  Non-commissioned  officers  and  pri- 
vates of  the  light  infantry  companies  of  volunteers  were  to 
wear  dark  blue  coats  with  white  linings,  collars,  and  cuffs,  and 
white  underclothes,  but  those  of  other  companies  were  not 
obliged  to  appear  in  that  uniform.  Each  regiment  was  to  be 
furnished  with  State  and  regimental  colors  at  the  expense  of 
the  field-officers,  and  each  company  with  a  drum  and  fife  at 
5 


66 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


the  expense  of  its  commissioned  officers.  Quakers  were  to 
pay  forty  shillings  a  year  instead  of  performing  military  duty, 
and  government  officials,  ministers,  physicians,  school  teachers, 
firemen,  and  some  others  were  exempt  from  such  duty.  This 
Act  was  amended  on  the  18th  of  April  1787  by  a  provision 
that  when  forty  men  of  the  enrolled  militia  of  the  City  of 
New  York  desired  to  arm  themselves  as  grenadiers,  they 
should  be  allowed  to  do  so. 

The  city  militia  in  1789  consisted  of  the  Brigade  of  the 
City  and  County  of  New  York  under  command  of  William 
Malcolm,  Brigadier-General.  The  various  regiments  and 
companies  were  : 


1  st  Regiment,  Henry  Rutgers,     Lieut.  Colonel 
2nd      "       Morgan  Lewis,         "  " 
3rd      "        Hendrick  Wyckoff,  "  " 
4th      "        James  Alner,  "  " 

5th      "       James  M.  Hughes,     "  " 
Regiment  of  Artillery,  Sebastian  Bauman,  Lieut.  Colonel. 
Legion  of  the  City  of  New  York,  James  Chrystie,  Lieut.  Colonel. 
Brigade  Company  of  Artillery,  John  Stoutenburgh,  Captain. 
Troop  of  Horse,  John  Stakes,  Captain. 

The  captain  of  the  second  company  of  grenadiers  of  the 
1st  Regiment  was  George  Scriba,  and  their  uniform,  as  de- 
scribed in  Stone's  History  of  New  York,  consisted  of  blue 
coats,  yellow  waistcoats  and  breeches,  black  gaiters  and  cone- 
shaped  caps  faced  with  bear  skin.  Another  company  wore 
blue  coats  faced  with  red  and  embroidered  with  gold,  white 
waistcoats  and  breeches,  black  spatterdashes  buttoned  close 
from  the  foot  to  the  knee,  and  cocked  hats  with  white 
feathers.  Parades  were  held  on  the  race-ground  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  present  junction  of  Division  and  Hester  Streets. 
General  William  Malcolm  first  appears  in  New  York  in  1763 
as  an  importer  of  Scotch  goods,  his  place  of  business  being 
near  the  Fly  Market.  In  1767  he  became  secretary  of  the  St. 
Andrew's  Society,  and  during  the  Revolution  commanded 
the  2nd  New  York  Regiment.  In  1784,  1786,  and  1787  he 
was  an  Assemblyman.    He  died  in  the  city  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 


City '  Govern  tnent.  — Mil it  ia.  — Pol it  ics. 


tember  1 791  and  was  buried  on  the  following  day  with  mili- 
tary and  masonic  honors.  Colonel  Sebastian  Bauman,  of  the 
Regiment  of  Artillery,  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Germany,  on 
the  6th  of  April  1739.  After  an  education  as  an  engineer  and 
artillerist  in  the  Austrian  service,  he  fled  to  America  to  escape 
the  results  of  a  duel,  and  in  May  1775  was  appointed  captain 
of  a  German  company  which  volunteered  in  the  rst  New  York 
Regiment,  in  which  he  acted  as  major.  At  intervals  during 
the  years  1781  and  1782  he  was  in  command  at  West  Point 
and  there  prepared  for  Washington  maps  of  that  post  which  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Benedict  Arnold  and  were  found  in  Major 
Andre's  boot.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  Con- 
tinental Army  in  June  1784  and  was  breveted  lieutenant- 
colonel  on  the  14th  of  April  1787.  In  October  1789  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  New  York  and  held  that  office  until 
his  death  on  the  19th  of  October  1803.  Captain  John  Stakes 
of  the  Troop  of  Horse  was  also  a  German  who  had  served  in 
the  Revolution  as  a  lieutenant  of  Light  Dragoons.  Colonel 
James  Chrystie  of  the  Legion  was  born  near  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, on  the  13th  of  January  1750,  and  appeared  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1 777.  After  serving  in  Pennsylvania  regiments  dur- 
ing the  Revolution  and  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  from, 
the  army  in  November  1783,  he  established  himself  in  business- 
in  New  York,  and  in  1789  was  a  china  merchant  at  No.  17 
Maiden  Lane.  A  few  years  later  he  served  in  Gen.  Wayne's- 
expedition  against  the  Indians  in  Ohio,  but  returned  to  the 
city  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  and  was  the  leading  dealer 
in  chinaware  until  his  death  in  June  1807. 

On  the  4th  of  July  1789  Gen.  Malcolm's  brigade,  under 
command  of  Col.  Chrystie,  paraded  on  the  race-ground  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  on  their  return  passed  the  house  of 
Washington,  who  was  then  ill  but  appeared  at  the  door  in  full 
regimentals.  At  noon  a  salute  was  fired  from  the  Fort,  and 
at  four  o'clock  the  officers  dined  at  Sam  Fraunces'  Tavern  in 
Cortlandt  Street,  and  at  the  third  toast,  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  the  company  rose  and  gave  three  cheers 
and  the  band  struck  up  General  Washington's  March.  The 
annual  inspection  of  the  brigade  was  made  by  Adjutant 


68 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


General  Nicholas  Fish  on  the  29th  of  July.  A  parade  and 
review  also  took  place  on  the  28th  of  September  which  was 
saddened  by  the  death  of  John  Loudon,  lieutenant  and  adju- 
tant of  the  1st  Regiment,  who  was  killed  by  the  accidental 
discharge  of  a  ramrod  from  a  gun  in  the  hands  of  one  of  his 
men.  It  is  to  the  honor  of  the  newspapers  of  that  day  that 
the  name  of  the  unfortunate  man  who  discharged  the  gun  did 
not  appear  in  one  of  them.  Lieut.  Loudon,  who  was  the  son 
of  Samuel  Loudon  the  printer,  was  a  member  of  Dr.  Mason's 
church  and  of  Holland  Lodge,  and  was  buried  on  the  29th  of 
September  with  military  and  masonic  honors,  an  ode  to  his 
memory,  composed  by  Mr.  Low,  being  sung  in  the  Lodge 
Room.  Col.  Hendrick  Wyckoff  of  the  3rd  Regiment  also 
died  on  the  22nd  of  October  at  his  father's  house  on  Long 
Island.  He  was  a  partner  of  Melancthon  Smith  in  the  firm 
of  Smith  and  Wyckoff,  and  is  said  to  have  been  "  eminent  as 
a  patriot,  graceful  as  a  soldier,  and  virtuous  as  a  man." 
Evacuation  Day  was  celebrated  by  the  hoisting  of  the  colors 
at  the  Fort,  and  the  firing  of  a  federal  salute  at  noon. 

The  New  York  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  which  in  1789 
consisted  of  about  180  members,  met  at  the  City  Tavern  on 
the  4th  of  July  and  elected  Baron  Steuben,  president,  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  vice-president,  Major  John  Stagg,  secretary, 
and  Col.  Richard  Piatt,  treasurer.  John  Stagg,  the  secretary, 
was  born  in  1758,  served  in  the  Continental  Army  during  the 
Revolution,  was  a  clerk  in  the  war  office  for  eight  years,  and 
was  sheriff  of  the  city  from  1 801  until  his  death  of  yellow 
fever  on  the  28th  of  December  1803.  He  was  an  Assembly- 
man in  1784  and  1786,  and  in  1789  was  a  major  in  the  City 
Legion  and  a  City  Surveyor.  Col.  Richard  Piatt,  who  was 
born  in  1754,  was  a  member  of  a  Long  Island  family,  and 
served  in  the  Continental  army  throughout  the  Revolution. 
He  was  a  strong  federalist  in  politics  and  acted  as  marshal 
of  the  Federal  Procession  in  July  1788.  He  died  on  the  3rd 
of  March  1830.  After  this  election  of  officers  the  Society 
appointed  a  committee  consisting  of  Baron  Steuben,  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  Gen.  Samuel  B.  Webb,  Col.  William  S. 
Smith,  and  Col.  Bauman,  to  present  its  congratulations  to  the 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics. 


69 


President,  Vice-President,  and  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives ;  which  was  done  except  in  the  case  of  the 
Speaker,  who  could  not  be  found.  The  Society  then  went  in 
procession,  escorted  by  Bauman's  Artillery,  to  St.  Paul's 
Chapel,  where  a  eulogium  upon  Gen.  Nathaniel  Greene  was 
pronounced  by  Alexander  Hamilton,  his  audience  including 
the  President's  wife  and  family,  the  Vice-President  and  ladies 
of  his  family,  the  Senate,  and  the  Speaker  and  House  of 
Representatives.  Washington  was  too  ill  to  be  present.  A 
dinner  and  the  drinking  of  thirteen  toasts  at  the  City  Tavern 
closed  the  Society's  celebration  of  the  day. 

Among  those  in  the  city  in  1789  who  had  been  naval  offi- 
cers were  Commodore  James  Nicholson,  and  Admiral  Pierre 
Landais.  The  former  was  born  in  Chestertown,  Md.,  in  1737 
and  coming  to  New  York  in  1762  entered  the  Royal  Navy. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  he  joined  the  American 
cause,  and  in  1777  became  Commodore  and  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  American  Navy,  but  was  not  particularly  success- 
ful in  the  struggle  against  the  British.  He  died  in  New  York 
on  the  2nd  of  September  1804.  Pierre  Landais  was  a  French- 
man who  had  been  disgraced  by  Congress  for  failing  to  sup- 
port Paul  Jones  in  the  action  between  the  Bonhomme 
Richard  and  the  Serapis,  and  was  therefore  a  bitter  foe  of  the 
"  pirate."  Meeting  Paul  Jones  on  the  street  in  New  York  in 
October  1787,  with  true  French  politeness,  he  spat  upon  the 
sidewalk  and  then  informed  his  enemy  that  he  might  consider 
the  sidewalk  to  be  his  person.  Capt.  Jones'  failure  to  imme- 
diately resent  this  conduct  caused  rumors  to  be  spread  deroga- 
tory to  his  courage  and  led  to  the  publication  of  the  follow- 
ing card  in  the  New  York  Packet  :  "  To  the  Public.  Having 
yesterday,  late  in  the  afternoon,  received  information  of  a  re- 
port circulating  here,  that  Peter  Landais — (who  was  an  officer 
in  the  squadron  I  commanded  in  Europe  in  the  late  war,  and 
was  in  America  broke  and  rendered  incapable  of  public  ser- 
vice by  a  Court  Martial, — for  matters  of  a  date  subsequent 
to  and  unconnected  with  the  charges  I  made  against  him  in 
Europe,  which  are  of  a  nature  to  call  his  life  in  question,  and 
of  which  the  most  material  proofs  have  never  been  published, 


70 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


but  are  lodged  in  the  office  of  Foreign  Affairs) — did  person- 
ally insult  me  in  this  city  on  Friday  last  by  spitting  in  my 
face :  I  take  this  method  to  declare  that  the  said  report  is  an 
absolute  falsehood — it  being  impossible  that  such  an  insult 
should  have  been  offered  to  me,  with  impunity,  under  any 
circumstances  whatever.  Paul  Jones.  Monday,  October 
29th  1787."  In  February  1786  there  had  been  published  the 
first  two  parts  of  M.  Landais'  Justification  and  he  endeavored 
for  many  years  to  obtain  a  reversal  of  the  action  of  Congress 
toward  him  but  failed  to  do  so.  He  died  in  New  York  in 
June  18 1 8,  aged  87  years. 

The  political  campaign  of  1789  was  contested  with  unusual 
bitterness,  the  city  being  a  stronghold  of  Federalism  and  the 
State  at  large  being  Antifederalist.  When  the  city  delegates 
to  the  Poughkeepsie  Convention,  which  was  to  consider  the 
question  of  ratifying  the  Federal  Constitution,  were  chosen  in 
1788  the  highest  number  of  votes  cast  for  an  Antifederalist 
candidate  was  134,  while  John  Jay  received  2735  votes.  With 
the  exception  of  William  Morris,  who  did  not  vote  at  all,  the 
New  York  City  members  of  the  Convention  all  voted  for 
ratification,  and  the  members  from  the  neighboring  counties 
of  Westchester,  Kings,  and  Queens,  voted  unanimously  for  it. 
The  election  of  Governor  and  Congressmen  in  1789  renewed 
the  struggle  which  had  been  won  by  the  Federalists  in  the 
Convention  of  1788.  By  an  Act  passed  on  the  13th  of  Febru- 
ary 1787  it  was  provided  for  the  first  time  in  this  State,  that 
the  election  of  State  officers  should  be  by  secret  ballot,  that 
method  of  voting  having  been  recommended  by  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1777.  The  qualifications  for  voting  for  State  officers 
consisted  in  being  a  male  inhabitant  of  full  age  who  had  re- 
sided in  the  county  for  six  months,  who  possessed  a  freehold 
to  the  value  of  £20  or  rented  a  tenement  of  the  yearly  value 
of  forty  shillings  in  the  county,  and  had  actually  paid  taxes  in 
the  State.  The  election  was  to  be  held  on  the  last  Tuesday 
in  April,  the  polls  to  remain  open  for  five  days  if  necessary, 
and  three  hours  notice  to  be  given  of  their  closing.  The  votes 
for  Assembly  were  to  be  canvassed  by  the  Common  Council 
on  the  last  Tuesday  in  May.    Owing  to  the  opposition  of  the 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics.  71 


Antifederalists,  New  York  State  took  no  part  in  the  election 
of  President  Washington,  and  the  political  gluttony  of  the 
same  party  greatly  delayed  the  election  of  Congressmen  and 
United  States  Senators.  The  situation  was  accurately  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Hugh  Williamson  when  he  wrote  as  follows 
from  New  York  on  the  24th  of  January  1789  to  James  Ire- 
dell :  "  The  General  Assembly  of  this  State,  after  spending 
two  months  in  pure  wrangling,  during  which  time  many  of 
them  have  had  the  felicity  to  make  a  clear  saving  of  one  dol- 
lar per  day,  have  at  length  agreed  to  divide  the  State  into  six 
election  districts  for  the  choice  of  the  representatives  in  the 
new  Congress.  They  cannot  yet  agree  about  the  mode  of 
choosing  Senators.  The  Commons  wish  to  have  all  Anties, 
and  the  Senate  wish  to  have  at  least  one  Congress  Senator  a 
federal  man."  The  Act  for  the  division  of  the  State  into  six 
congressional  districts  was  passed  on  the  27th  of  January  1789, 
the  qualifications  for  voting  for  congressmen  being  the  same 
as  those  for  voting  for  State  officers,  and  the  first  election  be- 
ing ordered  to  take  place  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  the  following 
March.  The  City  and  County  of  New  York  and  the  County 
of  Westchester,  with  the  exception  of  five  towns,  formed  one 
of  the  districts,  each  of  which  was  to  elect  one  Congressman. 
The  electioneering  for  Governor  and  Congressman  were  car- 
ried on  at  the  same  time,  support  of  or  opposition  to  the 
Federal  Constitution  being  the  distinguishing  marks  of  the 
two  parties  in  the  State.  The  first  candidate  for  the  govern- 
orship to  appear  was  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,  then  Lieutenant 
Governor,  who  announced  his  candidacy  in  a  card  published 
on  the  2nd  of  February.  On  the  nth  of  February  a  meeting 
of  citizens  at  the  City  Tavern  nominated  Judge  Robert  Yates 
for  Governor,  and  Mr.  Van  Cortlandt  for  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor, and  on  the  following  day  the  friends  of  Judge  Richard 
Morris  put  him  in  nomination  ;  he,  however,  withdrew  his 
name  on  the  27th  of  February  in  the  interest  of  harmony. 
The  meeting  of  February  nth  was  followed  by  another  on 
the  23rd  which  endorsed  its  action  and  nominated  John 
Lawrence  for  Congressman.  The  Federalists  controlled  these 
meetings,  their  objections  to  Governor  Clinton,  who  wished  to 


72 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


be  re-elected,  being  stated  in  a  circular  letter  written  by  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  on  the  18th  of  February,  laying  especial  em- 
phasis on  the  points  that  the  Governor  should  look  with 
favor  upon  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  that  he  should  sup- 
port the  dignity  of  his  office  by  suitable  hospitality  and  not 
arouse  disgust  and  contempt  by  endeavoring  to  enrich  him- 
self by  his  office.  In  order  to  avoid  the  charge  of  party  spirit 
it  had  been  thought  advisable  to  nominate  a  man  of  the 
other  party  and,  accordingly,  Judge  Yates,  who  was  not  a 
Federalist,  had  been  nominated.  The  circular  further  stated 
that  it  was  hoped  that  Judge  Morris  and  Mr.  Van  Cortlandt 
would  withdraw  from  candidacy.  This  circular  was  signed  by 
Mr.  Hamilton  as  chairman  of  a  Federalist  committee  of  cor- 
respondence of  which  the  other  members  were  Robert  Troup, 
William  Duer,  William  Constable,  John  Murray,  Richard 
Piatt,  Isaiah  Wool,  Robert  Bowne,  Aaron  Burr,  John  Meyer, 
George  Gosman,  James  Robinson,  and  Daniel  Hitchcock. 
Among  the  first  movements  on  the  part  of  the  Antifederalists 
was  a  warning  on  the  17th  of  February  that  there  was  then 
"stealing  upon  the  public,  as  from  an  ambuscade,  a  Publica- 
tion, entitled  'The  Milkiad'"  which  contained  a  censure  of 
the  most  poignant  kind  upon  Gov.  Clinton.  The  author  of 
this  plot  was  said  to  have  based  his  poem  upon  a  circumstance 
which  with  the  weak  and  prejudiced  might  pass  for  a  true 
story,  but  which  upon  examination  would  retreat  with  the 
rest  of  the  host  of  calumnies  with  which  the  Federalists  in- 
tended to  commence  their  electioneering.  On  the  26th  of 
February  the  Antifederalists,  in  the  guise  of  "  merchants, 
mechanics,  and  traders,"  called  a  meeting  to  nominate  a  mer- 
chant for  Congressman,  in  opposition  to  John  Lawrence  who 
was  a  lawyer.  William  Malcolm  was  the  chairman  of  this 
meeting,  but  owing  to  lack  of  room  at  the  Coffee  House,  the 
meeting  was  adjourned  to  be  held  the  next  evening  at  the 
City  Tavern.  But  on  the  27th  Alexander  Hamilton  issued  a 
call  to  all  citizens  to  be  present  at  this  meeting,  and  when  it 
took  place  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Lawrence  was  ratified  by  a 
large  majority  of  the  1000  citizens  who  were  present.  The 
Antifederalists  were  thus  obliged  to  solicit  votes  through  the 


City  Govern mcnt.  — Militia.  — Politics. 


73 


newspapers  for  John  Broome,  who  was  said  to  be  a  friend  of 
the  Constitution,  a  merchant,  a  man  of  letters,  and  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  law.  The  polling  places  in  the  city  ap- 
pointed for  the  congressional  election  were  the  Coffee  House 
in  the  East  Ward,  Aorson's  Tavern  in  the  North  Ward,  the 
City  Tavern  in  the  West  Ward,  Rawson's  Tavern  in  Mont- 
gomerie  Ward,  the  Bull's  Head  Tavern  in  the  Out  Ward, 
John  Francis'  Tavern  in  the  Dock  Ward,  and  the  Exchange 
in  the  South  Ward.  The  City  vote,  which  wras  canvassed  on 
the  7th  of  April,  stood,  for  John  Lawrence  2255,  for  John 
Broome  280,  for  Philip  Pell  2  votes.  In  the  whole  district, 
including  Westchester  County,  Mr.  Lawrence  received  2418, 
Mr.  Broome  372,  and  Mr.  Pell  33  votes.  John  Lawrence, 
who  was  thus  elected  first  Congressman  from  the  City  under 
the  new  Constitution,  was  bo#n  in  Cornwall,  England,  in 
1750,  and,  coming  to  New  York  in  1767,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1772  and  practiced  in  the  city  until  the  Revolution, 
during  which  he  served  in  the  1st  New  York  Regiment.  He 
also  acted  as  judge-advocate-general  on  Washington's  staff, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  court-martial  which  convicted  Major 
Andre.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress  from 
1785  to  1787,  a  State  Senator  in  1789,  sat  in  the  U.  S.  Con- 
gress from  the  8th  of  April  1789  until  the  2nd  of  March  1793 
when  he  became  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  Judge,  and  was  a  U.  S. 
Senator  from  December  8th  1796  until  his  resignation  in  Aug- 
ust 1800.   He  died  in  New  York  on  the  7th  of  November  18 10. 

The  congressional  election  having  been  thus  ended  in  a 
manner  which  was  to  be  expected,  the  Antifederalists  bent 
all  their  energies  toward  the  re-election  of  Gov.  Clinton,  in 
which  they  were  successful  throughout  the  State  although 
defeated  in  New  York  City.  The  fact  that  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  a  lawyer  furnished  the  text  for  the  following  remarks 
which  appeared  in  the  Daily  Advertiser  of  March  4th  1789  : 

"  Beware  of  Lawyers." 
"  Of  the  men  who  framed  that  monarchical,  aristocratical, 
oligarchical,  tyrannical,  diabolical  system  of  slavery,  the  New 
Constitution,  one  Half  were  lawyers.    Of  the  men  who  repre- 


74 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


sented,  or  rather  misrepresented,  this  city  and  county  in  the 
late  convention  of  this  state,  to  whose  wicked  arts  we  may 
chiefly  attribute  the  adoption  of  that  abominable  system,  seven 
out  of  the  nine  were  Lawyers.  This  same  class  of  men  will 
do  all  they  can  to  establish  and  confirm  that  nefarious  system, 
and  as  long  as  they  are  blindly  trusted  by  the  people,  we 
shall  never  be  able  to  succeed  in  our  virtuous  attempts  to  de- 
stroy it.  And  what  crowns  the  wickedness  of  these  wicked 
lawyers  is,  that  a  great  majority  of  them  throughout  the  state 
are  violently  opposed  to  our  Great  and  Good  Head  and 
never  failing  friend  of  the  city  and  city  interests,  the  present 
GOVERNOR.  That  aspiring  party  are  the  worst  enemies  of  his 
and  our  Virtuous  Aspirings.  We  warned  you  against  them 
at  the  election  for  convention  men  ;  we  now  warn  you  against 
them  again.    Beware,  beware,'  beware  of  Lawyers  ! " 

"  A  true  Antifederalist  and  no  Lawyer." 
At  a  small  meeting  held  on  the  9th  of  March  by  about 
100  citizens  under  the  chairmanship  of  Jonathan  Lawrence  a 
merchant  of  the  city,  the  Antifederalists  discussed  the  ques- 
tion of  nominations,  and  on  the  17th  of  March  nominated 
George  Clinton  for  Governor,  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt  for  Lieu- 
tenant Governor,  and  David  Gelston  for  State  Senator  from 
the  southern  district.  The  Federalist  candidate  for  Senator 
was  Philip  Livingston  of  Westchester  County.  The  Anti- 
federalists  also  appointed  a  committee  of  thirty-six  members 
to  promote  the  re-election  of  Gov.  Clinton  and  the  following 
gentlemen  were  chosen  as  a  committee  of  correspondence  : 

Jonathan  Lawrence. 

John  Stagg.  Isaac  Cook. 

Marinus  Willet.  Henry  Rutgers. 

Elias  Nexson.  John  H.  Sleght. 

William  Malcolm.  Isaac  Stoutenburgh. 

William  Denning.  Melancthon  Smith. 

Isaac  Norton.  David  Gelston. 

The  chairman  of  this  committee,  Jonathan  Lawrence,  had 
been  a  State  Senator  from  1777  to  1783,  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Appointment  in  1778  and  1782,  and  an  Assistant 
Alderman  from  the  Montgomerie  Ward  in  1784.    In  Septem- 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics.  75 

ber  1789  he  was  appointed  Inspector  of  Potash.  The  ablest 
member  of  the  committee,  and  one  who  had  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  as  an  Antifederalist  in  the  Poughkeepsie  Conven- 
tion of  1788,  was  Melancthon  Smith,  who  was  born  in  1744, 
being  one  of  the  fifteen  children  of  Samuel  Smith,  a  farmer  at 
Jamaica,  Long  Island.  When  a  boy  he  was  placed  in  a  store 
at  Poughkeepsie,  and  in  1777  was  appointed  first  Sheriff  of 
Dutchess  County,  being  an  active  patriot  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. In  1788  he  represented  Dutchess  County  in  the  State 
Convention,  acting  as  leader  of  the  Antifederalists  but  finally 
succumbing  to  the  eloquence  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
voting  for  ratification.  After  this  convention  he  took  no  very 
active  part  in  politics  but  devoted  himself  to  his  business 
until  his  death  on  the  29th  of  July  1798.  Toward  the  end 
of  March  1789  this  correspondence  committee  flooded  the 
State  with  handbills  containing  an  address  to  the  electors,  and 
the  political  battle  was  fairly  begun.  On  the  one  side  it  was 
claimed  that  Governor  Clinton  was  penurious  and  had  amassed 
a  fortune  of  ^30,000  during  his  governorship ;  that  the  four 
terms  for  which  he  had  already  been  elected  ought  to  satisfy 
the  ambition  of  any  man,  and  that  frequent  rotation  in  office 
was  a  fundamental  principle  of  republicanism.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  was  said  that  the  politics  of  the  city,  since  the  peace, 
had  been  run  by  "a  brace  of  Creoles"  who  had  no  other  merit 
than  that  derived  from  consummate  impudence  and  were  now 
endeavoring  to  palm  off  a  governor  of  their  own  making  upon 
the  people  and  to  cram  a  senator  upon  them  from  another 
State,  as  if  New  York  had  no  citizen  worthy  of  that  honor. 
The  Anti-Clintonians  were  denounced  as  wealthy  aristocrats, 

and  a  family,  designated  as  "  the  L         family,"  was  bitterly 

assailed  for  deserting  Governor  Clinton  to  whom  they  had 
every  reason  to  be  grateful.  No  personal  attacks  of  any  con- 
sequence were  made  upon  Judge  Yates,  but  a  man  who  had 
been  Governor  for  twelve  years  furnished  a  fair  mark  for  per- 
sonal abuse.  He  was  hated  chiefly  for  his  opposition  to  the 
Federal  Constitution,  and  upon  the  day  that  the  Constitution 
came  into  effect,  a  Boston  newspaper  published  a  long  politi- 
cal biography  of  Governor  Clinton,  as  of  one  who  had  de- 


76 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


parted  political  life.  Another  Boston  paper  printed  a  pro- 
gramme of  the  funeral  procession  of  Antifederalism  which  in- 
cluded :  "  His  Excel.  G.  CI — nt — n,  Esq.  In  both  hands  a 
Purse,  tied  up.  The  words  thereon,  If  New  York  loses  the 
Impost,  I  lose  tliee."  The  main  charge  made  against  him  was 
that  of  avarice,  and  it  was  announced  that  the  members  of  the 
Antifederalist  committee  of  correspondence  in  the  city  were 
unpopular,  without  influence,  and  chiefly  office-holders  by  the 
Governor's  appointment.  His  strongest  opponent  in  the  city 
newspapers  was  one  "  H.  G.,"  who  published  a  series  of  let- 
ters describing  the  Governor's  career  in  a  manner  by  no 
means  complimentary.  "  H.  G."  also  made  a  violent  attack 
upon  Marinus  Willet,  who  announced  that  he  knew  his  iden- 
tity and  would  show  him  up  in  his  true  colors,  but  afterwards 
admitted  that  he  had  been  unable  to  fathom  his  personality. 
"  H.  G's."  letters  were  also  answered  by  "  William  Tell,"  and 
before  the  electioneering  was  finished,  volleys  of  abuse  were 
hurled  in  all  directions  by  these  writers  and  by  "  Tam- 
many "  and  "  Tammany  jr."  One  citizen,  who  was  evi- 
dently a  Mugwump,  expressed  his  opinion  thus  :  "  '  The  ox 
knoweth  his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib  '  and  I  am 
much  deceived  if  these  brayers  on  both  sides,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions,  are  not  actuated  by  similar  motives."  The  chair- 
men of  the  opposing  committees,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  Mr. 
Lawrence,  were  so  unequally  provided  in  the  matter  of  men- 
tal equipment  that  their  productions  during  the  campaign 
cannot  fairly  be  compared.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  no  match  for 
the  greatest  statesman  whom  New  York  has  ever  produced. 
The  result  of  the  election  for  governor,  however,  showed  that 
Governor  Clinton  was  not  as  politically  dead  as  his  opponents 
wished  him  to  be.    The  vote  in  New  York  City  was  as  follows  : 

Ward.  Yates.  Clinton. 

East.  125.  96. 

West.  146.  41. 

Dock.  53.  49- 

South.  53.  16. 

North.  101.  55. 

Out,  115.  89. 

Montgomerie  240.  66. 

Total.   833.  385. 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics. 


77 


Judge  Yates  also  carried  Westchester,  Dutchess,  Colum- 
bia, Albany  and  Montgomery  counties,  but  Governor  Clin- 
ton's strength  in  the  other  counties  was  sufficient  to  give  him 
a  majority  of  429  votes  in  the  State.  The  smallest  vote  was 
in  Clinton  County  where  but  forty-five  ballots  were  cast,  of 
which  Governor  Clinton  received  forty-two.  It  was  estimated 
that  there  were  nearly  20,000  freeholders  in  the  State  of 
whom  12,353  voted,  547  ballots  being  thrown  out  for  various 
reasons.  Before  the  votes  were  canvassed,  bets  were  made  in 
the  city  at  the  odds  of  two  to  one  in  favor  of  Gov.  Clinton's 
re-election  and  it  was  conjectured  that  ^"1000  were  lost  in 
that  manner.  Governor  Clinton's  triumph  was  thus  an- 
nounced in  the  New  York  Journal  of  June  4th  1789:  "It 
has  been  remarked  that  this  election  for  Governor  has  been 
more  severely  contested  than  any  one  since  the  peace,  and  in- 
contestibly  proves  that  a  very  great  majority  of  the  citizens 
of  the  State  have  full  confidence  in  him  whom  they  have  for 
five  successive  elections  placed  in  the  chair  of  government ; 
who,  then,  can  other  than  hail  him — the  favorite  of  the  peo- 
ple." On  the  5th  of  June,  Governor  Clinton  and  his  friends 
held  a  jubilee  at  Fraunces'  Tavern.  The  Governor's  salary 
for  a  number  of  years  had  been  £1500  a  year  but  by  an  Act 
passed  on  the  28th  of  February  1789  he  was  to  receive,  during 
the  year  ending  July  1st  1789,  ;£i200  salary,  £300  for  the 
rent  of  the  house  then  occupied  by  him,  and  a  sufficient 
amount  to  pay  the  taxes  on  it.  Mr.  Van  Cortlandt  received 
a  practically  unanimous  vote  of  11,445  ballots  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor. 

The  election  of  Assemblymen  and  State  Senator  did  not 
arouse  as  much  interest  in  the  city  as  that  of  Governor.  The 
cartmen,  mechanics,  and  other  citizens  held  various  meetings 
at  which  the  following  gentlemen  were  nominated  for  As- 
semblymen, a  list  of  their  names  giving  an  idea  of  the  class  of 
men  who  were  in  political  life  at  that  time : 

William  Backhouse.  John  Leake,  Jr. 

John  Broome.  Morgan  Lewis. 

Donald  Campbell.  Daniel  McCormick. 

Francis  Childs.  White  Matlack. 


78 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Matthew  Clarkson. 
William  Constable. 
Nicholas  Cruger. 
John  Delafield. 
Wm.  W.  Gilbert. 
William  Heyer. 
Rufus  King. 
Jonathan  Lawrence. 
William  Laight. 


John  Murray. 
James  Nicholson. 
Anthony  Post. 
Robert  R.  Randall. 
Comfort  Sands. 
Ebenezer  Stevens. 
Robert  Troup, 
gulian  verplank. 
John  Watts. 


Henry  Will. 


The  names  of  the  nine  who  were  elected,  and  the  number 
of  votes  which  each  received  were  these : 


Assemblymen  received  \2s.  a  day  and  their  travelling  ex- 


Philip  Livingston  was  elected  State  Senator. 

The  political  event  occurring  in  New  York  City  in  1789, 
which,  with  the  exception  of  President  Washington's  inaugu- 
ration, has  proved  to  be  of  the  greatest  importance,  was  the 
organization  of  the  St.  Tammany's  Society,  or  Columbian  Or- 
der. Societies  bearing  the  name  of  St.  Tammany  had  existed 
both  in  Philadelphia  and  New  York  before  1789,  but  the 
present  organization,  commonly  known  as  Tammany  Hall, 
had  its  origin  in  the  early  part  of  that  year,  its  founder  being 
William  Mooney,  an  upholsterer,  whose  residence  was  No.  23 
Nassau  Street.  According  to  a  description  of  its  purposes, 
written  in  1790,  "this  national  institution  holds  up  as  its  ob- 
ject the  smile  of  charity,  the  chain  of  friendship,  and  the  flame 
of  liberty:  and  in  general,  whatever  may  tend  to  perpetuate 
the  love  of  freedom  or  the  political  advantage  of  this  country." 
As  organized  in  1789,  it  was  to  be  a  national  society  founded 
on  the  true  principles  of  patriotism,  and  having  for  its  motives 
charity  and  brotherly  love.  Its  officers  were  to  consist  of 
native-born  Americans,  while  adopted  citizens  were  eligible 


gulian  verplank,  1 1 76. 
John  Watts,  i  176. 
Rufus  King,  i  173. 
Matthew  Clarkson,  1143. 


Henry  Will,  1131. 
Robert  R.  Randall,  1130. 
Morgan  Lewis,  1115. 
Anthony  Post,  788. 


Francis  Childc,  675. 


penses. 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics.  79 

to  the  honorary  posts  of  warrior  and  hunter.  The  officers 
were  one  grand  sachem,  twelve  sachems,  one  treasurer,  one 
secretary,  and  one  door-keeper,  the  society  being  divided  into 
thirteen  tribes,  each  representing  a  State  and  being  governed 
by  a  sachem,  and  containing  one  honorary  warrior  and  one 
hunter.    The  society  was  governed  in  1789  by, 

William  Mooney,  Grand  Sachem. 
Sachems. 

White  Matlack.  John  Burger. 

Oliver  Glean.  Jonathan  Pearsee. 

Philip  Hone.  Thomas  Greenleaf. 

James  Tylee.  Abel  Hardenbrook. 

John  Campbell.  Cortlandt  Van  Beuren. 

Gabriel  Furman.  Joseph  Gadwin. 

Treasurer,  Thomas  Ash. 

Secretary,  Anthony  Ernest. 

Doorkeeper,  Gardner  Baker. 


The  St.  Tammany's  Society,  at  the  outset,  included  men 
of  all  parties  and  did  not  take  a  prominent  part  in  politics. 
In  1789  its  meetings  were  held  at  Sam  Fraunces'  tavern,  but 
it  celebrated  the  12th  of  May  in  tents  erected  on  the  bank  of 
the  Hudson  River  about  two  miles  from  the  city,  where  a 
large  number  of  members  partook  of  an  elegant  entertain- 
ment, served  precisely  at  three  o'clock,  after  which  there  was 
singing  and  smoking  and  universal  expressions  of  brotherly 
love.  In  1790  the  Tammany  Society,  through  the  efforts  of 
John  Pintard,  became  the  first  American  Historical  Society  by 
establishing  a  museum  for  the  preservation  and  exhibition  of 
all  things  relating  to  the  history  and  antiquities  of  America. 

The  national  political  events  occurring  in  New  York  in 
1789  included  the  meeting  of  the  first  Congress  under  the 
Federal  Constitution  and  the  inauguration  of  the  first  Presi- 
dent and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  The  Consti- 
tution had  been  adopted  by  the  members  of  the  Philadelphia 
Convention  on  the  17th  of  September  1787,  its  benefits  had 
been  practically  secured  by  its  ratification  by  the  ninth  state, 
New  Hampshire,  on  the  21st  of  June  1788,  and  it  had  been 


8o 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ratified  by  New  York,  on  the  26th  of  July  1788.  Until  the 
2 1st  of  November  1789,  North  Carolina  was  a  "foreign 
state,"  and  Rhode  Island  chose  to  occupy  that  position  until 
the  29th  of  May  1790.  The  electors  of  the  President  were  to 
be  appointed  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  January  1789,  and  were 
to  cast  their  votes  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  February,  but 
through  the  opposition  of  the  Antifederalists,  no  electors  were 
appointed  in  New  York  State.  The  Constitution  was  to  go 
into  operation  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  March  1789,  and  that 
day  was  greeted  in  the  City  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  firing 
of  cannon  at  sunrise,  noon,  and  sunset,  and  the  decoration  of 
Federal  Hall  with  flags.  The  feeling  of  the  Federalists 
throughout  the  country  with  regard  to  the  event  was  ex- 
pressed in  a  Boston  newspaper  of  March  7th  in  an  article  be- 
ginning thus  :  "  The  Copartnership  of  Anarchy  and  Anti- 
federalism  being  on  the  4th  inst.  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the 
concerned,  the  firm  ceases  to  be.  The  stock  in  trade  consist- 
ing of  subterfuges,  scarecrows,  calumny,  etc.,  will  be  disposed 
of  at  Public  Auction  to  Arnold,  Galloway,  Deane,  or  their 
agents — and  anything  will  be  received  in  payment  except 
Rhode  Island  paper  money."  The  Federalists,  however,  met 
with  a  dire  disappointment  in  the  lack  of  activity  on  the  part 
of  the  Congressmen  in  coming  to  New  York.  On  the  4th  of 
March  there  being  but  eight  Senators  and  thirteen  Represen- 
tatives present,  the  meeting  of  Congress  was  adjourned  for 
lack  of  a  quorum.  Daily  adjournments  continued  until  the 
1st  of  April  when  the  House,  having  a  quorum  of  thirty 
members,  organized  and  chose  as  speaker  Frederick  Augustus 
Muhlenberg  of  Pennsylvania.  No  quorum  appeared  in  the 
Senate  until  the  6th  of  April,  but  there  being  a  quorum  of 
twelve  Senators  on  that  day,  John  Langdon  of  New  Hamp- 
shire was  chosen  temporary  President  of  the  Senate  and  the 
votes  for  President  and  Vice-President  were  opened  and 
counted.  Each  ballot  contained  two  names,  the  person  re- 
ceiving the  highest  number  of  votes  to  be  President,  and  the 
next  to  highest  number  Vice-President.  The  total  number  of 
votes  cast  was  sixty-nine,  of  which  George  Washington  re- 
ceived all.    The  votes  for  other  candidates  were,  for  John 


City  Government. — M ilitia. — Politics. 


g] 


Adams,  34;  John  Jay,  9;  Richard  H.  Harrison,  6;  John 
Rutledge,  6  ;  John  Hancock,  4 ;  George  Clinton,  3 ;  Samuel 
Huntington,  2  ;  John  Milton,  2  ;  James  Armstrong,  1  ;  Ben- 
jamin Lincoln,  I  ;  and  Edward  Telfair,  1.  Charles  Thomson, 
the  Secretary  of  Congress  was  then  appointed  to  announce 
his  election  to  General  Washington,  and  Sylvanus  Bourne  of 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  was  sent  on  a  like  mission  to  John  Adams. 
New  York  State  was  not  yet  represented  in  either  branch  of 
Congress,  as  the  votes  cast  at  the  Congressional  election  were 
not  yet  canvassed  and  no  Senators  had  yet  been  elected. 
Not  until  the  latter  part  of  July  did  the  New  York  Legisla- 
ture come  to  an  agreement  with  regard  to  electing  U.  S. 
Senators,  the  candidates  then  being  Philip  Schuyler,  Rufus 
King,  James  Duane,  Lewis  Morris,  and  Ezra  L'Hommedieu. 
Rufus  King  of  New  York  City  and  Philip  Schuyler  of 
Albany  were  finally  chosen  and  took  their  seats  in  the  Senate 
on  the  25th  and  27th  of  July  respectively,  their  drawing  for 
terms  resulting  in  Mr.  King  obtaining  the  term  for  six  and 
Mr.  Schuyler  that  for  two  years.  Mr.  King  was  born  in 
Scarborough,  Maine,  in  1755,  and  after  graduation  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1777,  studied  law  and  soon  attained  eminence 
in  that  profession.  He  served  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  of  the  Convention 
which  framed  the  Federal  Constitution.  In  1786  he  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  John  Alsop  of  New  York,  and  took  his 
residence  in  the  city  in  1788.  In  the  election  of  1789  he  was 
chosen  Assemblyman,  and  then  passing  to  the  U.  S.  Senate 
was  re-elected  in  1795,  but  resigned  in  1796  to  become  Minis- 
ter to  England  where  he  remained  until  1804.  In  1813  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  and  remained  in  it 
until  1825,  when  he  was  again  appointed  Minister  to  England 
but  returned  in  the  following  year  in  broken  health,  and  died 
at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  on  the  29th  of  April  1827.  He  was 
a  stout  federalist  and  a  vigorous  opponent  of  slavery. 

The  early  meetings  of  Congress  were  devoted  to  prepara- 
tions for  the  reception  and  inauguration  of  the  President  and 
Vice-President,  then  followed  a  heated  discussion  as  to  the 
titles  which  were  to  be  given  them,  and  this  was  followed  by 
6 


82 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


a  Salary  Bill  by  which  it  was  ordered  that  the  President 
should  receive  $25000  a  year,  the  Vice-President  $5000,  the 
Speaker  twelve  dollars  a  day  during  the  'session,  and  the 
Senators  and  Representatives  six  dollars  a  day.  The  next 
topic  discussed  was  the  tariff,  and  then  came  the  question  of 
the  permanent  seat  of  the  Federal  Government.  In  this  ques- 
tion the  citizens  of  New  York  had  the  deepest  interest  and 
the  galleries  were  thronged  during  the  bitter  debates  upon  the 
subject  in  September  1789.  Ladies  had  made  their  appear- 
ance in  the  gallery  of  the  House  in  April,  a  most  laudable 
curiosity,  according  to  the  newspapers,  being  a  sufficient  reason 
for  the  novelty  of  the  circumstance.  Congress  adjourned  on  the 
29th  of  September  1789  after  passing  twenty-seven  Acts  and 
a  number  of  resolutions.  It  met  again  in  New  York  on  the 
4th  of  January  1790  and  sat  until  the  12th  of  August  when  it 
adjourned  to  meet  next  in  Philadelphia. 

The  Federal  appointments  to  office  in  which  the  city  was 
interested  began  early  in  August  when  the  President  ap- 
pointed John  Lamb,  collector  of  the  port,  Benjamin  Walker, 
naval  officer,  and  John  Lasher,  surveyor.  Of  these  John 
Lamb  was  the  most  distinguished.  He  was  born  in  the  city 
on  the  first  of  January  1735,  being  the  son  of  Anthony  Lamb, 
an  excellent  maker  of  mathematical  instruments,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  81  years,  on  the  nth  of  December  1784.  The  son 
for  a  time  assisted  his  father  in  business  but  in  1760  engaged 
in  the  wine  trade.  Before  the  Revolution  he  was  an  active 
Liberty  Boy  and  served  with  distinction  throughout  the  war, 
being  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  in  Montgomery's  expedi- 
tion against  Quebec.  He  was  a  member  of  Assembly  in  1784 
and  was  appointed  Collector  on  the  22nd  of  March  in  that 
year,  reappointed  under  the  Federal  Government  in  1789,  and 
held  the  office  until  1797.  He  died  in  New  York  on  the  31st 
of  May  1800. 

Benjamin  Walker  was  born  in  England  in  1753,  and  after 
passing  a  few  years  in  France  was  employed  by  a  merchant  in 
London  by  whom  he  was  sent  at  an  early  age  to  New  York. 
During  the  Revolution  he  acted  as  aide-de-camp  to  Baron 
Steuben  and  to  General  Washington,  it  being  related  that 


City  Government. — Milit ia.  — Pol it ics. 


83 


upon  one  occasion  when  Baron  Steuben  had  exhausted  his 
store  of  expletives  in  endeavoring  to  drill  some  raw  recruits 
he  cried  out:  "  Viens,  Walker,  mon  ami,  viens,  mon  bon  ami, 
sacre,  Gott  dam  de  gaucheries  of  dese  badauts,  je  ne  puis  plus, 
I  can  curse  dem  no  more."  After  the  peace,  Col.  Walker 
acted  for  a  short  time  as  secretary  to  Gov.  Clinton  and  then 
became  a  commission  merchant  in  New  York  residing  in  1789 
at  No.  22  King  (Pine)  Street.  He  was  Naval  Officer  until 
1797  when  he  moved  to  Fort  Schuyler,  now  Utica,  where  he 
died  on  the  13th  of  January  181 8.  John  Lasher  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  of  Safety  in  1775,  was  appointed  Sur- 
veyor on  the  19th  of  November  1784,  reappointed  in  1789  and 
held  the  office  until  the  year  1800.  The  port  wardens  in  1789 
were  Thomas  Randall,  Augustine  Lawrence,  and  William 
Heyer,  and  the  physician  to  inspect  vessels  was  Dr.  Charles 
McKnight. 

Of  more  importance  was  the  appointment  of  Alexander 
Hamilton  to  the  Secretaryship  of  the  Treasury  on  the  nth 
of  September  1789  which  was  followed  a  few  days  later  by 
his  appointment  of  William  Duer  as  Assistant  Secretary.  Mr. 
Duer  was  born  in  England  on  the  18th  of  March  1747  and 
twenty  years  later  was  aide  to  Lord  Clive  in  India.  In  1768 
he  came  to  America  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Wash- 
ington County,  N.  Y.  where  he  became  County  Judge.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress,  and  of 
the  Committee  of  Safety,  one  of  the  committee  that  drafted  the 
State  Constitution  in  1777,  and  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress  in  that  and  the  following  year.  He  was  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  Board  until  1789,  author  of  a  few  numbers  of 
the  Federalist,  and  served  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury until  1790.  In  1779  he  married  Miss  Kitty  Alexander, 
daughter  of  William  Alexander,  who  unsuccessfully  claimed 
the  title  of  Lord  Stirling.  His  death  occurred  in  New  York 
on  the  7th  of  May  1779. 

Later  in  September  came  the  appointments  of  John  Jay 
to  be  Chief  Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  James  Duane, 
to  be  U.  S.  District  Court  Judge,  Richard  Harrison,  U.  S. 
Attorney,  and  Samuel  Osgood,  Postmaster  General,  the  latter 


84 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


appointment  causing  a  change  in  the  Postmastership  of  the 
City.  The  main  post-route  in  the  country  then  ran  from 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  but 
there  were  only  seventy-five  post  offices  in  all.  The  route  in 
New  York  State  covered  249  miles  ;  the  contract  for  carrying 
the  mails  three  times  a  week  in  summer  and  twice  a  week  in 
winter  being  given  to  Levi  Pease  at  S3  300  a  year.  The  total  re- 
ceipts at  the  New  York  City  Post  Office  for  the  three  months 
ending  January  5th  1790  were  $1067.08,  the  postmaster's 
emoluments  amounting  to  $252.32.  The  amount  of  post- 
age required  was  almost  prohibitive,  the  cost  of  sending  a 
letter  from  New  York  to  Savannah  being  33  cents.  The  city 
postmaster  for  a  number  of  years  had  been  William  Bedlow 
whose  office  in  1789  was  at  No.  8  Wall  Street,  but  on  the 
22nd  of  September  1789  the  President  approved  an  Act  for 
the  establishment  of  a  New  Post  Office  Department,  which 
was  to  remain  in  effect  only  to  the  end  of  the  next  session  of 
Congress.  Ebenezer  Hazard,  had,  as  Postmaster  General, 
managed  the  department  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  face  of 
the  greatest  difficulties,  but  had  allowed  the  postmasters 
throughout  the  country  to  manage  the  ofrices  on  a  credit  sys- 
tem and  to  fall  years  in  arrears  in  their  accounts  with  the 
government ;  he  was  therefore  removed  and  Samuel  Osgood 
appointed  in  his  place  on  the  29th  of  September  1789,  and  a 
few  days  later  Sebastian  Bauman  took  Mr.  Bedlow's  place  as 
postmaster.  The  methods  of  the  department  in  those  days 
are  illustrated  by  a  card  which  Mr.  Bedlow  published  on  the 
6th  of  October  1789  thanking  the  merchants  for  their  kind- 
ness toward  him  and  requesting  them  to  call  and  settle  their 
accounts.  The  new  Postmaster  General  endeavored  to  hasten 
the  settlement  by  entering  up  a  judgment  against  the  former 
postmaster  for  arrears  due  to  the  government,  and  on  the  9th 
of  March  1790  the  latter  presented  a  petition  to  Congress 
praying  for  more  time  in  which  to  pay  the  judgment.  Mr. 
Bedlow  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1798.  On  the  5th  of  October 
the  post  office  was  removed  from  No.  8  Wall  Street  to  No. 
62  Broadway,  corner  of  Crown  (Liberty)  Street,  and  two 
days  later  "  A  Merchant "  expressed  the  hope  that  Mr.  Bau- 


City  Government. — Militia. — Politics.  85 


man  would  have  more  consideration  for  the  ease  and  comfort 
of  the  citizens  than  to  continue  it  there  long,  but  would 
choose  some  more  central  place.  For  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  the  mails  from  the  South  arrived  at  3  P.M.  on  Tuesday, 
Thursday  and  Saturday,  and  closed  at  10  P.M.  on  Monday, 
Wednesday  and  Friday,  those  from  the  East  arriving  on  the 
same  days  at  7  P.M.  and  closing  on  Tuesday,  Thursday  and 
Sunday  at  8  P.M.  From  the  1st  of  November  until  the  first 
of  January,  however,  the  Southern  mail  closed  at  1  P.M.  on 
Monday  and  Thursday,  and  arrived  at  3  P.M.  on  Wednes- 
day and  Saturday,  while  the  Eastern  and  Northern  mail 
closed  at  8  P.M.  on  Sunday  and  9  P.M.  on  Wednesday,  and 
arrived  at  6  P.M.  on  Wednesday  and  Saturday.  Letters  had 
to  be  in  the  post  office  half  an  hour  before  the  mail  closed. 
On  the  1st  of  January  1790  it  was  announced  that  the  mail 
would  be  sent  to  Philadelphia  five  times  a  week. 

On  the  1 2th  of  December  1789  the  offices  of  the  Secretary, 
Comptroller,  Register,  and  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  were  re- 
moved from  Broadway  to  one  of  the  corners  of  Broad  and 
Great  Dock  (Pearl)  Street.  The  State  Treasury  was  next 
door  to  No.  9  Great  Dock  Street. 

The  representatives  from  foreign  countries  in  New  York 
City  in  1789  were  Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui,  encargado  de 
negocios  from  Spain,  and  Jose  Viar,  charge  d'affaires  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year ;  Marquis  de  Moustier,  minister  from 
France,  and  Louis  G.  Otto,  charge'  d'affaires ;  Francis  P.  Van 
Berckel,  minister  resident  from  Holland ;  Sir  John  Temple, 
consul-general  from  Great  Britain  ;  and  Richard  Sonderstrom, 
Swedish  consul.  Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui  had  come  to 
America  in  1785  to  carry  on  negotiations  with  regard  to  the 
Mississippi  River  and  became  very  popular  in  New  York,  his 
departure  on  the  10th  of  October  1789,  on  the  snow  San 
Nicholas  for  Bilbao,  being  universally  regretted.  Jose  Viar 
then  became  charge'  d'affaires,  having  been  officially  presented 
to  President  Washington  on  the  25th  of  September,  and  oc- 
cupied that  post  until  1794,  and  for  a  short  time  in  1796. 
Eleonor-Francois-Elie,  marquis  de  Moustier,  the  French  Am- 
bassador, was  born  in  Paris  on  the  15th  of  May  175 1,  and  after 


86 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


a  military  and  scientific  education  went  to  London  as  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  in  1783.  In  1787  he  took  the  place  of  M. 
de  la  Luzerne  in  America  and,  being  a  stout  adherent  of  the 
Bourbons,  made  himself  extremely  obnoxious  in  a  republic 
which  he  despised.  He  had  a  parting  audience  with  Presi- 
dent Washington  on  the  9th  of  October  1789  and  sailed  for 
France  a  week  later.  In  1790  he  became  ambassador  to 
Prussia,  and  in  the  following  year  returned  to  France  to  de- 
cline to  become  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  at  the  same 
time  refused  to  return  to  Berlin.  He  was  then  appointed 
Ambassador  to  Constantinople  but  had  to  flee  to  England  to 
escape  death  at  the  hands  of  the  French  Revolutionists.  He 
immediately  returned,  however,  to  the  Continent  and  labored 
in  behalf  of  the  Bourbons,  his  letters,  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  Jacobins,  being  reproduced  in  the  Act  of  Accusation 
against  Louis  XVI.  In  1792  he  returned  to  England  where 
he  remained  until  1796  when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Prus- 
sia until  driven  out  by  Bonaparte  in  1806.  He  then  fled  to 
Hartwell,  England,  with  Louis  XVIII.  and  shared  the  fort- 
unes of  that  monarch  until  July  18 15,  when  he  retired  to  a 
country-house  near  Versailles  where  he  died  of  apoplexy  on 
the  1st  of  February  18 17,  after  a  life  of  loyal  devotion  to  a 
bad  cause.  In  18 10  his  son  was  appointed  to  a  diplomatic 
mission  to  the  United  States,  but  was  ordered  elsewhere  as 
he  was  preparing  to  sail. 

Louis  G.  Otto,  the  French  charge"  d'affaires,  was  born  in 
Baden  in  1754,  and  coming  to  America  in  1779  remained  until 
1792.  He  died  in  Paris  in  November  18 17.  Francis  P.  Van 
Berckel,  minister  from  the  Netherlands,  arrived  in  New  York 
on  the  10th  of  May  1789,  presented  his  credentials  on  the 
16th  of  that  month,  and  represented  that  country  in  the 
United  States  until  September  1795.  Sir  John  Temple, 
the  British  consul-general,  was  born  on  Noddle's  Island,  in 
Boston  Harbor,  in  August  1732,  and  from  1761  to  1767  was 
Surveyor  General  of  Customs  for  the  Northern  District  of 
America.  From  1761  to  1774  he  was  also  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor of  New  Hampshire,  but  in  the  latter  year  was  removed 
from  that  office  because  of  inclination  toward  the  American 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


87 


cause.  After  a  sojourn  in  England  for  some  years,  he  resided 
in  Boston  in  1783,  and  in  1785  became  consul-general  in  New 
York,  remaining  in  that  office  until  his  death  on  the  17th  of 
November  1798.  In  January  1767  he  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  James  Bowdoin,  and  in  1786  succeeded  to  a  Brit- 
ish baronetcy.  Although  extremely  deaf  he  was  very  popu- 
lar in  the  New  York  social  world,  and  was  noted  for  his  ele- 
gant entertainments.  The  first  British  minister  to  the 
United  States  presented  his  credentials  in  October  1791. 


III. 


Climate.    Provisions  and  Markets.   Dress  and  Cus- 
toms. Societies. 

The  healthf  ulness  of  the  city  in  1789  was  especially  brought 
to  public  notice  with  the  object  of  persuading  the  Federal 
Government  to  fix  upon  New  York  as  its  permanent  seat. 
On  the  24th  of  June,  the  Gazette  of  the  United  States  an- 
nounced that  during  nearly  three  months'  sitting  of  Congress 
but  one  of  its  members  had  fallen  sick,  and  in  September,  an 
elaborate  statement  of  the  advantageous  situation  of  the  city 
in  point  of  healthfulness  appeared  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  John 
Bard,  the  leading  physician  at  that  time.  He  wrote  as  fol- 
lows:  "New  York  is  justly  esteemed  one  of  the  healthiest 
cities  of  the  continent.  Its  vicinity  to  the  ocean,  fronted  by 
a  large  and  spacious  bay  ;  surrounded  on  every  side  by  high 
and  improved  land  covered  with  verdure  and  growing  vege- 
tables, which  have  a  powerful  influence  in  sweetening  and 
salubrifying  the  air  and  which  often  in  their  season  salute  the 
inhabitants  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  Broadway  with 
fragrant  odours  from  the  apple  orchards  and  buckwheat  fields 
in  blossom  on  the  pleasant  banks  of  the  Jersey  shore  in  view 
of  their  delightful  dwellings ;  the  continual  influx  and  reflux 
of  two  noble  salt  water  rivers  extending  along  each  side  of 
the  town,  which  gives  perpetual  motion  to  the  air ;  the  in- 
equality and  descent  of  the  ground  on  which  the  city  stands, 
whereby  most  of  the  impurities  left  by  the  scavengers  are 
washed  by  the  rains  into  the  rivers  and  there  converted  twice  in 
every  twenty-four  hours  by  floods  of  salt  water,  which  checks 
every  putrid  fermentation  ;  furnished  with  good  and  whole- 
some water,  and  the  markets  supplied  with  the  greatest  plenty 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


89 


and  variety  of  every  kind  of  fresh  and  wholesome  provision 
which  both  the  land  and  the  sea  afford.  The  salutary  effects 
of  all  which  are  confirmed  in  the  complexion,  health  and  vigor 
of  its  inhabitants."  Dr.  Bard's  sentences  were  constructed 
after  a  somewhat  peculiar  plan,  but,  if  the  longevity  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city  be  taken  as  a  test,  the  truth  of  his  re- 
marks was  confirmed  by  the  facts.  Thus,  on  the  7th  of  No- 
vember 1789,  died  Mrs.  Johannah  Vanbrugh  Duyckink  aged 
92  years  and  6  months ;  and — to  take  an  example  from  the 
next  generation — in  the  directory  for  1789  there  appears  the 
name  of  Neal  McKinnon,  grocer,  at  No.  31  Wall  Street,  and 
in  June  1816  there  appeared  a  notice  of  the  death  of  Neal 
McKinnon,  aged  88  years,  a  follower  of  the  immortal  Wolfe 
on  the  Plains  of  Abraham  in  1758.  In  some  respects,  how- 
ever, Dr.  Bard's  statements  were  not  altogether  accurate.  The 
breezes  laden  with  the  fragrant  odors  of  New  Jersey  did  not 
always  blow.  In  August  1789  the  heat  was  so  great  in  the 
city  that  twenty  deaths  occurred  in  one  week  from  that  cause, 
aggravated  by  over-work  and  the  drinking  of  too  much  cold 
water ;  perhaps  an  equally  effective  cause  may  be  evolved 
from  a  newspaper  statement  that  "  Raw  Rum  has  been  found 
exceedingly  pernicious  in  this  extreme  heat."  The  thermom- 
eter reached  88°,  but,  to  afford  some  satisfaction  to  the  over- 
heated citizens,  the  newspapers  promptly  stated  that  in  Phila- 
delphia the  thermometer  stood  at  960  for  several  days,  that 
sixteen  infants  had  been  buried  in  that  city  on  the  first  Sun- 
day in  July,  and  that  the  Mayor  had  ordered  all  the  meat  in 
the  markets  to  be  thrown  into  the  Delaware  by  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning  as  unfit  for  use.  This  unusual  mortality  in  New 
York,  however,  brought  about  the  suppression  of  a  nuisance  in 
the  form  of  the  prolonged  tolling  of  the  church  bells  during 
funeral  services  and  processions.  One  exasperated  sufferer 
from  this  nuisance  published  an  appeal  to  the  Common  Coun- 
cil on  the  subject  in  April  1789.  He  stated  that,  if  the  Gen- 
eral Government  was  to  be  retained  in  New  York,  all  nui- 
sances should  be  abated  and  that  the  country  members  of 
Congress  complained  bitterly  of  the  tolling  of  bells  at  funerals, 
but  that  neither  wit,  reason  nor  the  petitions  of  physicians  had 


90 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


been  able  to  stop  it.  His  own  thoughts  on  the  subject  were 
as  follows :  "  When  an  usurer  whose  whole  life  has  been  a 
scene  of  extortion  and  avarice  ;  when  an  old  maid  whose  life 
has  been  devoured  with  spleen  and  consumed  in  useless  soli- 
tude ;  when  an  old  bachelor  whose  putrid  carcase  has  long  of- 
fended the  senses,  dies,  their  souls  must  be  rung  to  eternity 
with  peals  of  bell-metal  thunder.  If  music  has  the  same  ef- 
fect upon  the  soul  as  it  has  on  the  feet  of  a  marching  regiment, 
I  would  advise  the  relations  to  get  the  Assembly  Band  and 
start  the  corpse  with  a  flourish  of  hautboys  and  drums.  The 
weak,  the  sick,  and  the  studious  are  much  disturbed  with  the 
noise  of  bell-metal  clappers,  and  all  strangers  feel  it  a  nui- 
sance; would  it  not  be  better  to  move  the  dead  silently  to  the 
silent  grave."  In  view  of  the  increased  mortality  in  August, 
on  the  19th  of  that  month,  the  Common  Council  passed  an 
ordinance  that  after  the  first  of  September,  bells  should  not  be 
tolled  until  the  funeral  procession  came  in  sight  of  the  burying- 
ground,  and  that  when  it  entered  the  ground  such  tolling 
should  cease  and  should  not  be  renewed  ;  a  fine  of  forty  shill- 
ings was  the  penalty  for  disobeying  the  ordinance.  A  few 
days  later  a  letter  appeared  in  the  Philadelphia  newspapers 
stating  that  Philadelphians  should  not  be  troubled  by  the 
lies  in  the  New  York  newspapers  regarding  the  heat  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  that  the  New  York  Corporation  had  directed 
that  no  bells  be  rung  on  the  death  of  any  of  the  inhabitants, 
lest  the  members  of  Congress  (already  much  alarmed  by  the 
late  mortality)  should  immediately  remove  from  the  city. 
Nor  was  the  climate  of  New  York  altogether  agreeable  in 
some  other  respects.  In  a  letter  written  from  Long  Island  in 
May  1789  by  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchill,  afterwards  Professor  in 
Columbia  College  and  United  States  Senator,  the  climate  was 
represented  to  be  very  moist,  the  weather  very  changeable, 
and  the  mud  often  deep.  He  writes :  "  That  person  would 
deserve  the  praises  and  rewards  of  his  countrymen,  who  should 
contrive  a  cheap  and  easy  kind  of  stuff  for  shoes,  effectually 
capable  of  guarding  against  this  kind  of  wet  and  cold  ;  for 
wool  and  leather  are  insufficient."  Dr.  Mitchill  lived  to  see 
this  invention,  as  his  death  did  not  occur  until  1 831,  and  rub- 


Cli)natcy  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


91 


ber  overshoes  made  their  appearance  in  New  York  a  few 
years  before  that  time.  Heavy  snow  also  might  be  added  to 
the  disagreeable  features  of  life  in  New  York  in  1789,  for 
Washington  records  in  his  diary  that  on  the  29th  of  November 
in  that  year  "  Being  very  snowy,  not  a  single  person  appeared 
at  the  Levee."  With  regard  to  provisions  afforded  by  the 
land,  Dr.  Bard  was  undoubtedly  correct,  as  the  New  York 
markets  have  always  been  provided  with  the  best  of  food,  al- 
though in  1788  Brissot  de  Warville  found  the  taste  of  the 
milk  disagreeable  because  of  the  wild  onions  which  were  plen- 
tiful in  the  country  and  were  eaten  by  the  cows.  He  stated, 
however,  that  the  vegetables,  meat,  and  fish  were  wonderfully 
abundant  and  of  good  quality,  although  the  fruit  was  inferior 
to  that  of  Europe.  A  statement  of  Washington's  household 
expenses  during  three  months  of  the  year  1789  may  be  taken 
to  show  the  dishes  which  appeared  on  the  tables  of  that  day. 
Among  its  items  were  butcher's  meat,  bacon,  tongue,  geese, 
ducks,  turkeys,  chickens,  birds,  scale  fish,  lobsters,  crabs, 
oysters,  cured  fish,  eggs,  cheese,  bread,  biscuit,  cake,  vegetables, 
butter,  ice  cream,  preserves,  fruit,  melons,  nuts,  citrons,  and 
honey.  The  wines  included  Madeira,  Claret,  Champagne, 
Cherry,  Arrack,  Spirits,  Brandy,  Cordials,  Porter,  Beer,  and 
Cider.  Among  these,  the  item  for  Madeira  was  the  largest, 
that  for  beer  being  next  in  amount.  The  teas  which  he  used 
were  hyson  and  bohea,  the  expenditure  for  both  of  them  being 
less  than  that  for  coffee. 

A  notice  of  the  death  of  Major  Job  Sumner  at  the  City 
Tavern  on  the  16th  of  September  1789  might  lead  to  the  sup- 
position that  all  of  the  fish  to  be  found  in  New  York  markets 
were  not  of  the  first  quality,  as  it  is  stated  that  he  died  of 
poison  received  from  eating  of  a  dolphin  ;  but  the  dolphin 
was  caught  off  Cape  Hatteras  and  eaten  on  board  ship,  so 
that  New  York  fish  were  in  no  way  responsible  for  the  mis- 
fortune. The  markets  in  the  city  in  1789  were  six  in  number, 
the  oldest  of  them  being  the  Fly  Market,  established  in  1699 
in  the  middle  of  Maiden  Lane  between  Pearl  and  Water 
Streets  and  torn  down  in  January  1822.  On  the  19th  of 
March  1789  a  committee  of  the  Common  Council  was  ap- 


92 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


pointed  to  enlarge  this  market.  The  other  markets  were  the 
Peck  Slip,  established  in  1763  and  demolished  in  1793;  the 
Bear,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Greenwich  Street  between 
Fulton  and  Vesey  Streets,  established  in  1771  and  torn  down 
in  181 3  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  Washington  Market  ; 
the  Oswego,  in  Maiden  Lane  at  its  junction  with  Broadway, 
established  in  1772  and  torn  down  in  181 1  ;  the  New  Market 
at  Catherine  Slip  erected  in  1786  nearly  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Catherine  Market ;  and  the  Exchange,  the  fourth  of 
that  name  which  had  been  built  in  Broad  Street,  erected  in 
1788  on  the  Long  Bridge  leading  from  the  Exchange  to  the 
river,  and  removed  in  1 8 14.  The  citizens  carried  home  their 
own  marketing,  the  delivery  of  it  in  carts  not  becoming  a  gen- 
eral custom  until  about  the  year  1820,  By  a  city  ordinance 
of  September  1st  1784  no  butcher  was  allowed  to  slaughter 
cattle  elsewhere  than  at  the  slaughter-house  erected  at  Cor- 
lear's  Hook  in  July  1784,  and  the  sale  of  provisions  in  the 
city  was  strictly  regulated  by  ordinance.  On  the  19th  of 
March  1789  the  Common  Council  passed  a  market  ordinance, 
repealing  all  former  laws,  by  which  it  was  enacted  that  every 
day  except  Sunday,  from  sunrise  to  sunset  should  be  a  market 
day  and  that  such  portions  of  the  market  as  were  not  especially 
allotted  to  butchers,  etc.,  should  be  occupied  by  country  people. 
Ten  shillings  fine  was  the  penalty  for  selling  meat  in  the  city 
without  a  license  and  for  selling  beef,  mutton,  pork  or  lamb  in 
the  public  markets  after  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  between 
the  30th  of  April  and  the  1st  of  November,  except  on  Satur- 
days. Hucksters  and  retailers  were  subject  to  a  like  fine  for 
buying  provisions  in  the  markets,  to  be  sold  again,  before  1 1 
A.M.,  or,  in  the  case  of  flour  and  meal,  before  4  P.M.,  the  penalty 
for  the  latter  offence  being  5s.  fine  for  each  hundred-weight  so 
bought.  The  fine  for  selling  stale  or  unwholesome  provisions 
or  meat  was  forty  shillings.  No  licensed  butcher  was  to  pur- 
chase, to  be  sold  again,  any  dressed  meat  on  its  way  to  mar- 
ket, under  penalty  of  10s.  fine  per  quarter.  The  market  ex- 
penses were  paid  by  the  collection  of  is.  4d.  for  each  four 
quarters  of  cattle  killed  and  brought  into  market,  4d.  for 
hogs,  and  3d.  for  calf,  sheep,  and  lamb.     Country  people 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


93 


could  sell  meat  by  the  quarter  without  paying  a  fee  if  it  were 
actually  raised  on  their  own  farms,  and  in  smaller  quantities 
at  the  same  rate  as  butchers.  This  last  provision,  however, 
was  construed  by  the  country  people  to  mean  that  they 
could  not  send  their  meat  to  market  by  their  neighbors  with- 
out paying  a  fee,  and  the  consequence  was  that  the  best  meat 
at  times  did  not  appear  in  the  market,  and  after  complaint 
by  those  who  bought  meat,  the  Common  Council  on  the  1st 
of  April  explained  that  it  was  not  intended  to  prevent  the 
sending  of  meat  by  neighbors.  The  market  fees  from  the  1st 
of  February  1788  to  the  1st  of  February  1789  amounted  to 
^"584  6d.,  one  half  of  which  sum  formed  part  of  the  Mayor's 
salary. 

The  physical  ailments  of  those  who  partook  of  the  good 
cheer  furnished  by  the  New  York  markets  are  said  by  Brissot 
de  Warville  to  have  been  bilious  fevers,  and  colds  caused  by 
careless  exposure,  but  he  states  that  the  healthfulness  of  the 
city  rendered  the  medical  profession  unprofitable.  The  direc- 
tory for  1789,  however,  contains  the  names  of  twenty-seven 
physicians,  there  being  a  number  more  whose  names  do  not 
appear  in  it,  and  the  Medical  Society  in  that  year,  under  the 
presidency  of  Dr.  John  Bard,  had  twenty-eight  members.  Dr, 
John  Bard  was  the  oldest  physician  in  the  city,  having  been 
born  in  Burlington,  N.  J.,  on  the  1st  of  February  17 16.  He 
settled  in  New  York  in  1746,  and  died  in  Hyde  Park,  N.  Y., 
March  30th  1799.  In  his  snuff-colored  suit  during  the  week 
and  scarlet  coat  on  Sunday,  he  was  one  of  the  best  known 
figures  in  the  city.  His  son,  Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  born  in  Phila- 
delphia on  the  1st  of  April  1742,  was  also  distinguished  as  a 
physician  in  1789  and  attended  Washington  during  his  illness 
in  that  year.  He  began  to  practice  with  his  father  in  1767 
and  continued  in  active  service  until  1798,  when  he  retired  to 
a  farm  in  Hyde  Park,  and  amused  himself  with  agriculture. 
When  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  was  founded  in 
181 3  he  became  its  first  President  and  occupied  that  position 
until  his  death  at  Hyde  Park  on  the  24th  of  May  1821.  The 
following  bill  for  services  rendered  by  him  in  1776  does  not 
appear  to  be  extortionate  : 


94 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


1776.  To  Doctr.  Saml.  Bard,  Dr. 

Octobr.  6th.   A  vomet  2/6.  Spirit  Sal.  Volat.  2/6.  haust.  sud.  2/6.  o.  7.  6. 

7.       Sud.  drops.  4/  9th.  twelve  doses  Cortex,  18/  1.  2.  o. 

20.      Six  doses  Cort.  p.  9/  28.  two  Do.  3/.  29.  Six  Do.  9/  1.  1.  o. 

Decer.  2d.      Vomet.  2/6.  2.  6. 

Received  the  Contents  in  full,  2. 13.  o. 

Doc.  Samuel  Bard, 
Jos.  Dela  Plaine,  Junr. 

The  treatment  here  shown  seems  to  have  been  fairly  good 
as  the  victim  lived  until  the  18th  of  May  1778. 

Dr.  Charles  McKnight  was  also  a  well-known  physician 
in  1789,  having  his  office  at  No.  50  Smith  Street.  He  was 
born  in  Cranbury,  N.  J.,  on  the  10th  of  October  1750,  his 
father  being  a  minister  whose  church  was  burnt  by  Tories  and 
himself  thrown  into  prison  where  he  died  in  1778.  Dr.  Mc- 
Knight was  graduated  from  Princeton  College  in  1771  and 
acted  as  a  surgeon  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, settling  in  New  York  after  the  war.  He  was  eminent  as 
a  surgeon  and  was  a  professor  in  Columbia  College  from  1785 
until  his  death  on  the  10th  of  November  1791.  Among  the 
other  physicians  in  the  city  were  Drs.  Benjamin  Kissam  and 
Nicholas  Romaine,  both  Professors  in  Columbia  College,  the 
office  of  the  former  being  at  No.  156  Queen  Street  and  that 
of  the  latter  on  one  of  the  corners  of  Nassau  and  John  Streets ; 
Dr.  Richard  Bailey,  afterwards  health  officer  of  the  port,  No. 
72  King  (Pine)  Street ;  Drs.  Malachi  Treat  and  J.  R.  B. 
Rodgers,  No.  18  Little  Queen  (Cedar)  Street;  Dr.  William 
Pitt  Smith,  No.  5  Beekman  Street ;  Dr.  James  Tillary,  No. 
86  Broadway;  and  Dr.  George  C.  Anthon,  in  Broad  Street. 
Dr.  Tillary  was  a  Scotchman  who  came  to  New  York  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolution  and  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  St.  Andrew's  Society.  He  died  in  18 18  at  about  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  Dr.  Anthon  was  a  German  who  came 
to  America  before  the  Revolution  and  settled  in  New  York  in 
1784  and  purchased  his  house  in  Broad  Street  from  Alexander 
Hamilton  in  April  1789.  He  died  in  181 5  aged  eighty-one 
years.  Effingham  Lawrence  of  No.  227  Queen  Street  was 
druggist  and  apothecary  to  the  Medical  Society,  a  committee 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


95 


of  which  examined  his  store  quarterly  and  certified  that  his 
drugs  and  medicines  were  genuine  and  faithfully  prepared. 

The  luxury  and  ostentatious  display  of  riches  in  the  city, 
according  to  Brissot  de  Warville,  were  great  and  the  inhabi- 
tants were  followers  of  the  English  fashions.  He  considered 
the  ladies  to  be  especially  extravagant  in  their  dress.  French 
fashions  also  were  followed  to  some  extent  and  were  de- 
scribed from  time  to  time  in  the  newspapers  for  the  benefit  of 
New  York  society.  Thus,  in  the  N.  Y.  Gazette  of  May  15th 
1789  several  French  costumes  were  described  which  may  have 
been  adopted  by  the  ladies  of  the  city.  One  was  a  plain 
celestial  blue  satin  gown  with  a  white  satin  petticoat.  There 
was  worn  with  it,  on  the  neck,  a  very  large  Italian  gauze 
handkerchief  with  satin  border  stripes.  The  head-dress  with 
this  costume  was  a  pouf  of  gauze  in  the  form  of  a  globe,  the 
creneaux  or  headpiece  of  which  was  made  of  white  satin  hav- 
ing a  double  wing,  in  large  plaits,  and  trimmed  with  a  large 
wreath  of  artificial  roses  which  fell  from  the  left  at  the  top  to 
the  right  at  the  bottom  in  front,  and  the  reverse  behind. 
The  hair  was  dressed  all  over  in  detached  curls,  four  of  which 
fell  on  each  side  of  the  neck  and  were  relieved  behind  by  a 
floating  chignon.  Another  costume  was  a  perriot  made  of 
gray  Indian  taffeta  with  dark  stripes  of  the  same  color,  having 
two  collars,  one  yellow  and  the  other  white,  both  trimmed 
with  blue  silk  fringe,  and  having  a  reverse  trimmed  in  the 
same  manner.  Under  the  perriot  there  was  worn  a  yellow 
corset,  or  shapes,  as  it  was  then  called,  with  large  blue  cross- 
stripes.  Around  the  bosom  of  the  perriot  there  was  pinned 
a  frill  of  ribbon  or  gauze  cut  in  points  around  the  edge.  The 
hat  worn  with  this  costume  was  of  white  satin,  with  a  broad 
band  and  two  cockades.  The  newest  costume  consisted  of  a 
perriot  and  petticoat  of  gray  striped  silk  trimmed  with  gauze 
cut  in  points.  A  large  gauze  handkerchief  bordered  with 
four  satin  stripes  was  worn  with  it  on  the  neck,  and  the  head- 
dress was  a  plain  gauze  cap  such  as  was  worn  by  nuns. 
Shoes  were  made  of  celestial  blue  satin  with  rose-colored  ro- 
settes. Ladies'  muffs  were  of  Siberian  wolfskin  adorned  with 
a  large  knot  of  scarlet  ribbon.    The  French  gentlemen,  for 


96 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


undress,  wore  very  long  blue  riding-coats  with  plain  steel  but- 
tons, scarlet  waistcoats,  and  yellow  kerseymere  breeches  with- 
out embroidery.  Their  shoes  were  tied  with  strings,  and 
above  them  were  worn  gaiters  of  black  polished  leather  reach- 
ing nearly  to  the  thigh.  They  wore  very  full  muslin  cravats 
with  the  ends  tied  in  a  large  knot  in  front,  and  their  muffs 
were  made  of  bearskin  with  scarlet  knots  fastened  upon  them. 
The  muff  was  probably  not  used  by  gentlemen  in  New  York 
and  they  adopted  English  rather  than  French  fashions.  The 
New  York  ladies'  hats  were  of  such  huge  dimensions  that  a 
newspaper  writer  in  1789  suggested  that  a  larger  size  of  um- 
brella should  be  imported  to  protect  them  from  the  rain.  An- 
other writer  also  ridiculed  the  fashion  of  appearing  to  be  dim- 
sighted  and  of  using  what  he  called  a  spy-glass  at  the  theatre. 
The  materials  used  for  clothing  included  wildbores,  cordurets, 
camblets,  moreens,  taboreens,  callimancoes,  durants,  tammies, 
shalloons,  rattinetts,  florentines,  denins,  velverets,  romalls, 
lutestrings,  duffils,  fearnaughts,  hairbines,  osnaburgs,  ticklen- 
burgs,  ribdelures,  honeycomb  thicksetts,  dowlas,  amens,  cas- 
serillias,  and  plattillas.  The  men  were  more  simple  in  their 
habits  and  still  despised  gewgaws,  but  at  table  made  up  for 
this  simplicity  by  the  use  of  the  most  expensive  wines.  One 
class  of  men  seemed  to  be  particularly  obnoxious  to  Brissot. 
He  writes  :  "  Luxury  is  already  forming  in  this  city  a  very 
dangerous  class  of  men,  namely,  the  bachelors  ;  the  extrava- 
gance of  the  women  makes  them  dread  marriage."  He  also 
mentions  with  disapproval  the  universal  habit  of  smoking; 
strong  Spanish  cigars  six  inches  long  being  the  material  used 
in  this  revolting  habit.  He  had  the  good  grace  to  say,  how- 
ever, that  it  had  the  advantage  of  accustoming  its  votaries  to 
practice  the  virtues  of  meditation  and  silence.  His  statement 
that  an  American  travelled  with  only  a  comb,  razor,  two  shirts 
and  two  cravats,  was  manifestly  a  libel,  as  a  newspaper  adver- 
tisement of  a  trunk  lost  in  May  1789  describes  its  contents  as 
consisting  of  a  dark  green  coat  with  plain  silver  buttons,  a 
green  striped  waistcoat,  one  pair  of  nankeen  and  one  pair  of 
black  satin  breeches,  a  pair  of  silver  shoe  and  knee  buckles, 
seven  shirts,  seven  neckcloths,  three  pairs  of  white  silk  hose 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


97 


and  sundry  pairs  of  thread  hose.  But  in  spite  of  this  sup- 
posed simplicity  of  mens  dress  the  dandy  of  1789  was  suffi- 
ciently gorgeous  in  his  apparel.  John  Ramage,  the  miniature 
painter,  a  handsome  man  of  middle  age,  wore  a  scarlet  coat 
with  mother-of-pearl  buttons,  a  white  silk  waistcoat  em- 
broidered with  colored  flowers,  black  satin  breeches  with  paste 
knee-buckles,  white  silk  stockings,  large  silver  buckles  on  his 
shoes,  and  a  small  cocked-hat  on  the  upper  part  of  his  pow- 
dered hair,  leaving  the  curls  at  his  ears  displayed.  His  cos- 
tume was  completed  by  a  gold-headed  cane  and  a  gold  snuff 
box.  Artificial  enhancement  of  the  beauty  of  men's  figures 
was  also  widely  adopted,  one  means  of  which  excited  the 
wrath  of  a  newspaper  writer  in  November  1789.  In  an  article 
denouncing  what  he  was  pleased  to  call  a  "  bishop,"  this 
writer  says  :  "  The  young  ladies  have  totally  laid  aside  all 
manner  of  deception  ;  cork  and  wool  are  no  more  necessary  in 
the  dress  of  a  fine  woman,  and,  to  the  immortal  honour  of  the 
ladies  of  New  York,  let  it  be  here  recorded  that  they  have 
adopted  the  most  natural  and  becoming  fashions,  this  winter, 
that  we  have  ever  seen  ;  whilst  the  young  bucks  and  petit- 
maitres  are  metamorphosing  themselves  into  lusus  naturae 
and  their  tailors  into  upholsterers."  John  Shepherd,  a  tailor 
at  No.  23  Hanover  Square,  advertised  cloths  of  nearly  one 
hundred  different  colors  at  38s.  a  yard,  with  the  exception  of 
some  high  colors  which  were  more  expensive.  Among  these 
colors  were  bottle-green,  batswing,  navy  blue,  parson's  gray, 
changeable  pearl,  scarlet,  light  blue,  light  green,  London 
smoke,  purple,  mulberry,  garnet,  sea  green,  mouse's  ear,  pea 
green,  and  drake's  head.  Waistcoats  were  made  of  muslinet, 
dimity,  cotton,  silk,  satin,  gold  and  silver  tambour  muslin, 
satinet,  and  Princess  stuff ;  the  buttons  used  were  gilt,  silver, 
basket-brocaded  and  spangled.  The  cloths  used  were  chiefly 
of  English,  French  and  Spanish  manufacture,  the  latter  being 
the  most  expensive,  costing  45s.  a  yard.  Casimirs  were  worth 
1 8s.  and  rattinetts  four  shillings.  Nathaniel  Hazard,  No.  51 
Water  Street,  also  advertised  "  American  Woolens  from  the 
flourishing  Manufactory  at  Hartford."  Edward  Moran,  a 
tailor  at  No.  24  Smith  (William)  Street,  was  a  modest  man 
7 


98 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


and  advertised  that  "As  self-applause  is  commonly  the  unerr- 
ing mark  of  ignorance  and  consequently  disgusting,  he  de- 
clines it  and  only  offers  the  following  most  reasonable  terms: 

MAKING 

Plain  coat,  15s. 

Fashionable  do.  16s. 

Lappelled  do.  17s. 

Waistcoats  made  fashionable,  6s. 

Silk  and  velvet  breeches,  8s. 

Jean,  Nankeen,  Corduroy,  &c.  do.  7s. 

Double  breasted  surtout,  16s. 

Great  coat,  14s. 

Ladie's  Habit,  fashionable,  16s." 

Black  satin  breeches  and  striped  silk  vests  could  be  bought 
ready-made  for  three  dollars  each.  A  beaver  hat  cost  eight 
dollars  and  a  castor  hat  six  dollars.  Boots  and  shoes  could 
be  obtained  of  Thomas  Garnis,  No.  72  Queen  (Pearl)  Street 
between  Peck  Slip  and  Cherry  Street,  who  flattered  himself 
that,  having  been  used  to  work  for  the  first  nobility  in  Eng- 
land, he  would  be  able  to  give  satisfaction  to  those  employing 
him.  Men's  boots  cost  six  dollars,  and  ladies  shoes  one  dollar 
and  a  half.  Hair  dressing,  in  the  day  of  wigs  and  powdered 
hair,  was  a  most  important  art,  and  one  of  those  engaged  in  it 
was  Charles  McCann,  at  No.  40  Queen  (Pearl)  Street,  who 
sold  ladies'  dress  cushions  at  16s.,  braids  at  from  ten  shillings 
to  three  dollars  each,  and  ringlets  at  seven  shillings  a  pair. 
For  dressing  a  lady's  hair  every  day  he  charged  £\^  a  year  or 
five  shillings  a  time,  while  gentlemen  were  charged  £8  a  year 
if  their  hair  were  dressed  every  day,  £$  10s.  for  four  times  a 
week,  and  £4,  10s.  for  three  times  a  week.  The  chief  per- 
fumery store  in  the  city  was  that  of  Nathaniel  Smith  at  the 
Sign  of  the  Rose,  No.  187  Queen  (Pearl)  Street,  where  there 
could  be  obtained  pomade  de  grasse  for  thickening  the  hair, 
vegetable  face  powder,  almond  paste  for  the  hands,  essences 
of  bergamot,  lavender,  orange,  and  thyme,  and  nervous  essence 
for  the  toothache.  The  best  dentist  in  the  city  was  John 
Greenwood,  who  in  1789  removed  from  No.  19  to  No.  56 
William  Street.    He  offered  a  guinea  apiece  for  live  teeth, 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


99 


transplanted  natural  teeth  for  four  guineas,  and  furnished 
them  on  gold  or  silver  plates  for  from  two  to  five  dollars 
each,  artificial  teeth  made  of  different  substances  costing  from 
one  to  two  dollars.  His  office  hours  were  from  eight  to 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  from  two  to  six  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  his  advertisement  making  especial  mention  of 
the  fact  that  he  had  a  room  set  apart  for  the  dentist  business 
only.  In  1789  Mr.  Greenwood  added  to  his  reputation  by 
making  a  full  set  of  sea-horse  teeth  for  Washington  who  is 
said  to  have  had  but  one  tooth  of  his  own  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Greenwood's  chief  rival  in  1789  was  a  M.  Gardette,  who  came 
from  Philadelphia  in  that  year  and  adopted  the  plan  of  insert- 
ing long  essays  in  the  newspapers  on  the  preservation  of  the 
teeth,  as  an  advertisement.  He  also  announced  that  he 
would  pull  teeth  gratis  for  the  poor  from  six  to  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning  on  Mondays  and  Thursdays,  a  plan  which  was 
also  adopted  by  Mr.  Greenwood. 

The  leading  jewelers  in  the  city  were  Francis  Panton,  No. 
38  Wall  Street,  who  also  dealt  in  shell  goods ;  Pearsall  and 
Embree,  No.  185  Queen  (Pearl)  Street;  Bessonet  and 
Merkler,  at  the  Sign  of  the  Dial  No.  32  Maiden  Lane;  and 
William  and  John  Mott,  No.  240  Water  Street,  who  in  1789; 
issued  a  business  token  made  of  copper,  about  the  present 
size  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  with  an  advertisement  on  both 
sides. 

The  great  merchants  of  the  city  sold  largely  on  commission 
and  their  advertisements  show  a  large  variety  of  goods  for 
sale.  Thus,  Robert  Bowne  and  Co.  offered  hides,  Madeira 
wine,  lignum  vitae,  boxwood,  eighty  sets  of  mahogany  bed- 
steads, turpentine,  varnish,  lampblack,  wax,  sheet  copper, 
anchors,  beef,  pork,  butter,  lard,  hams,  flour,  rice,  bolting 
cloths,  and  a  variety  of  dry  goods.  It  is  said  that  the  firm 
doing  the  largest  business  in  the  city  was  that  of  Shedden, 
Patrick  and  Co.^  general  merchants  at  No.  206  Water  Street. 
Other  firms  doing  a  large  business  were  Gouverneur,  Kemble 
&  Co.,  No.  26  Front  Street ;  Gelston  and  Saltonstall,  No.  30 
Burling  Slip  ;  and  Murray,  Mumford  &  Bowen,  No.  20  Peck 
Slip.    The  prices  in  N.  Y.  currency  of  a  few  articles  in  mer- 


IOO 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


chandise  in  1789  were  as  follows,  the  dollar  being  worth  eight 
shillings  : 


Bar  Iron,  ^30  per  cwt. 
Pig  Iron,  £9     «  " 
Superfine  Flour,  44s.  per  bbl. 
Common      "     40s.    "  " 
Wheat         11       8s.   "  " 
Muscovado  sugar,  50s.  to  70s.  per 
cwt. 

Loaf  sugar,  is.  3d.  per  lb. 
Butter,  7d.  to  8d.  "  " 
Lard,  8d.  "  " 

Coffee,  is.  9d.  "  " 
Chocolate,  13d.  «  " 
Cocoa,  70s. 

Connecticut  Pork,  72s. 
Hyson  tea,  us.  to  12s.  per  lb. 


Sequin  tea,  6s.  6d.  per  lb. 
Bohea    "    2s.  5d.  "  " 
Carolina  tobacco,  3^d.  to  5d. 
Virginia       "       4d.  to  5d. 
Ham,  7d.  per  lb. 
Beef,  3id.  "  " 

Madeira  wine,  ^60  to  ^90  per  pipe. 
Port         "    £46  "  " 

Lisbon     "       5s.  per  gallon. 
Teneriffe  "      4s.    "  " 
Fayal       "       3s.  3d.  per  gallon. 
Jamaica  spirits,  4s.  9d.  "  " 
Windward  Island   Rum,  4s.  per 
gallon. 

Country  Rum,  2s.  7d.  per  gallon. 


The  price  of  bread  was  regulated  by  the  Common  Council 
and  in  May  1789  was  6d.  for  a  wheat  loaf  weighing  2  lbs.  1  y2 
oz.,  and  3d.  for  a  rye  loaf  weighing  1  lb.  8  oz. 

By  the  city  charter  the  right  to  trade  in  the  city,  except 
upon  fair-days,  was  restricted  to  those  who  were  freemen  and 
by  a  city  ordinance  of  March  9th  1784,  all  persons  not  born  in 
the  city  or  having  served  a  seven  years'  apprenticeship  in  it, 
upon  being  made  freemen  were  required  to  pay  ^5  to  the 
Corporation  in  the  case  of  merchants,  traders  and  shopkeepers, 
and  20s.  if  they  were  handicraft  tradesmen,  in  addition  to  23s. 
6d.  fees  to  the  city  officers.  Native  born  citizens  and  those 
who  had  served  an  apprenticeship  were  required  to  pay  8s.  to 
the  mayor,  7s.  6d.  to  the  clerk,  and  is.  each  to  the  crier  and 
bell-ringer  of  the  mayor's  court.  The  tradesmen  of  the  city 
apparently  looked  after  the  enforcement  of  these  provisions, 
as,  in  August  1789,  one  of  them  requested  the  editor  of  the 
Daily  Advertiser  to  insert  in  his  paper  an  extract  from  the 
city  charter  setting  forth  the  restrictions  upon  trade.  The 
treatment  of  apprentices  was  regulated  by  an  Act  passed  Feb- 
ruary 6th  1788  by  which  it  was  provided  that  no  master  should 
compel  his  apprentice  to  sign  any  bond  or  make  oath  not  to 
set  up  the  same  trade,  under  penalty  of  ^"40  fine.    An  infant 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc,  101 

was  to  be  bound  only  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  except 
in  the  case  of  binding  for  the  payment  of  passage  money, 
under  which  circumstances  the  age  limit  was  extended  to 
twenty-four  years.  On  the  other  hand,  an  apprentice  refusing 
to  do  his  duty  was  to  be  committed  to  the  Bridewell  until 
willing  to  work,  and  those  absenting  themselves  from  work 
were  to  serve  double  the  time  of  their  absence  or  to  make 
satisfaction  in  some  other  way. 

Another  important  class  in  the  community  was  that  of  the 
cartmen  whose  business  was  regulated  by  a  city  ordinance  pro- 
viding that  no  cartman,  drayman  or  water  carrier  should  sit 
upon  and  drive  his  cart,  sled,  dray  or  other  carriage,  nor  drive 
his  horse  faster  than  a  walk  under  a  penalty  of  6s.  fine.  The 
carts  were  to  be  two  feet  five  inches  wide  between  the  fore- 
most rungs  and  two  feet  nine  inches  wide  between  the  hind- 
most rungs,  and  no  more  or  less  ;  the  rungs  were  to  be  three 
feet  eight  inches  high  above  the  floor  of  the  cart.  Moving 
must  have  been  a  trial  to  the  patience  in  1789. 

There  was  but  little  travelling  done,  and  that  little  was 
accomplished  with  great  discomfort.  The  general  stage-office, 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  was  at  Fraunces'  Tavern, 
No.  49  Cortlandt  Street,  whence  stages  left  for  Albany,  Bos- 
ton, and  Philadelphia.  The  right  to  run  a  stage  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson  River  from  New  York  to  Albany  was  a 
monopoly  which,  in  April  1785,  had  been  granted  for  ten 
years  to  Isaac  Van  Wyck,  Talmage  Hall,  and  John  Kinney, 
the  penalty  for  encroachment  by  others  being £200  fine.  The 
route  to  Albany  was  by  the  Bowery  Lane  and  Kingsbridge 
Road  to  Kingsbridge  and  thence  along  the  Hudson  River. 
Stages  left  both  ends  of  the  route  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and 
Thursday,  taking  three  days  for  the  trip  in  summer  and  four 
or  more  in  winter,  a  day's  journey  lasting  from  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning  until  ten  in  the  evening.  The  fare  on  all  the 
stage  routes  was  4d.  a  mile,  fourteen  pounds  of  baggage  being 
carried  free,  and  the  price  for  a  passenger  being  charged  for 
every  extra  150  pounds  of  baggage.  In  1786  apian  was  made 
for  a  uniform  charge  at  all  the  stage  taverns  on  the  roads  to 
Albany  and  Boston,  each  person  to  pay  for  what  he  ordered,  no 


102 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


club  being  admitted  unless  with  the  consent  of  all  the  company. 
By  this  arrangement  a  breakfast  cost  2s.,  dinner  2s.  o/i.,  supper 
2s.,  a  single  bed  is.,  and  a  double  bed  is.  6d.;  beefsteak  could 
be  had  for  is.  6d.,  chicken  for  is.  o,d.,  and  oysters  from  6d.  to 
2s.  as  called  for.  Champaigne  was  to  cost  ten  shillings, 
Madeira  and  Claret  eight  shillings,  and  Port  and  Sherry  six 
shillings  a  bottle.  The  Boston  stages  left  the  city  on  Mon- 
day, Wednesday,  and  Friday,  by  way  of  the  Bowery  Lane  and 
Post  Road  to  Harlem  and  thence  eastward  to  Boston,  making 
the  journey  in  about  six  days  by  travelling  from  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten  at  night.  In  October  1789 
the  Boston  and  Albany  stage-office  was  removed  to  Mr.  Isaac 
Norton's,  No.  160  Queen  (Pearl)  Street. 

Stages  for  Philadelphia  left  Paulus  Hook  twice  every  day 
except  Saturday  and  Sunday  when  but  one  stage  ran.  From 
Paulus  Hook  there  were  two  routes  to  Philadelphia,  one  by 
way  of  Newark  and  the  other  by  way  of  the  Blazing  Star 
Tavern  at  Woodbridge.  The  fare  through  to  Philadelphia 
was  two  dollars  and  the  journey  was  made  in  about  three  days. 
These  stages  were  drawn  by  four  horses  and  could  accommo- 
date twelve  passengers.  Philadelphia  could  also  be  reached 
by  taking  the  boat  from  the  Albany  Pier  on  Monday,  Wed- 
nesday, Thursday,  or  Friday,  to  South  Am  boy,  whence  stages 
.set  forth  at  three  o'clock  the  next  morning  alternately  to  Bor- 
dentown  and  Burlington,  and  thence  boats  went  to  Philadel- 
phia "  making  the  passage  good  the  same  day."  Boats  for 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  left  Coenties  Slip  every  Saturday 
morning,  and,  if  the  weather  permitted,  arrived  there  the  same 
evening.  The  New  Haven  boats  left  Burling  Slip.  Stages 
for  Jamaica,  L.  L,  started  from  the  ferryhouse  at  Brooklyn ; 
and  in  March  1789  George  O'Hara  started  a  two-horse  stage 
line  from  New  York  to  Morristown  by  way  of  Paulus  Hook 
and  New- Ark,  the  trip  taking  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  fare  being  one  dollar. 
The  roads,  in  all  directions  were  in  the  worst  possible  con- 
dition, and  the  danger  of  drowning  in  the  rivers  was  great. 
If  the  traveller  sought  to  escape  the  discomforts  of  stage 
journeying  by  going  by  boat,  the  time  of  starting  and  of  reach- 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  103 

ing  his  destination  depended  entirely  upon  the  wind  and 
weather.  Thus,  on  the  26th  of  October  1788,  Aaron  Burr 
wrote  to  his  wife  from  Albany  after  a  journey  from  New  York  : 
"  The  headache  with  which  I  left  New  York  grew  so  extreme, 
that  finding  it  impossible  to  proceed  in  the  stage,  the  view  of 
a  vessel  off  Tarrytown,  under  full  sail  before  the  wind,  tempted 
me  to  go  on  board.  We  reached  West  Point  that  night,  and 
lay  there  at  anchor  near  three  days.  After  a  variety  of  changes 
from  sloop  to  wagon,  from  wagon  to  canoe,  and  from  canoe 
to  sloop  again,  I  reached  this  place  last  evening." 

The  merchants  of  the  city  had  founded  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  1768  and  its  charter  had  been  confirmed  in  1784. 
The  fee  for  admission  was  five  Spanish  milled  dollars;  a 
quarterly  payment  of  one  dollar  was  also  required,  and  a  fine 
of  one  shilling  was  imposed  for  inexcusable  absence  from  a 
usual  meeting,  two  shillings  for  a  special  meeting,  and  four 
shillings  for  a  quarterly  meeting.  Leaving  the  Chamber  dur- 
ing a  meeting  was  punished  by  a  fine  of  one  shilling,  and  fail- 
ure to  serve  on  the  monthly  committee  by  one  of  four  shilings. 
The  meetings  were  held  at  Bradford's  Coffee  House  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Wall  and  Water  Streets.  The  officers  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  1789  were  John  Broome,  presi- 
dent, and  Theophylacte  Bache  and  John  Murray,  vice-presi- 
dents. John  Broome,  the  president,  was  born  on  Staten  Isl- 
and in  1738  and  was  noted  as  a  politician  as  well  as  a 
merchant.  He  was  an  alderman  from  1783  to  1785,  city 
chamberlain  in  1784,  assemblyman  in  1801,  and  1802,  state 
senator  in  1803,  and  lieutenant  governor  in  1804,  being  re- 
elected to  that  office  in  18 10  but  dying  on  the  8th  of  August 
in  that  year.  Both  Broome  Street  and  Broome  County  were 
named  after  him.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce in  1784  and  its  president  from  1785  to  1794.  Theo- 
phylacte Bache,  was  of  English  birth  and  came  to  New  York 
in  1751-  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  1768,  its  president  in  1773,  and  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  Marine  Society  and  of  the  New  York  Hos- 
pital. During  the  Revolution  he  was  a  Tory  but  resumed 
business  after  the  war  and  was  vice-president  of  the  Chamber 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


of  Commerce  from  1788  to  1792.  He  was  also  president  of 
the  St.  George's  Society  and  for  a  number  of  years  vestryman 
of  Trinity  Church.  He  died  in  1807  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  John  Murray  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1737 
and  came  to  New  York  in  early  life.  He  was  for  many  years 
an  elder  in  the  Wall  Street  Presbyterian  Church  and  died  in 
1808.  The  value  of  the  exports  to  foreign  countries  from  the 
port  of  New  York  during  the  year  1788  was  estimated  to  be 
about  ,£770,000  or  §1,925,000,  the  most  valuable  exports  be- 
ing wheat,  flour,  flaxseed,  potash,  bread,  furs,  barrel-heads  and 
staves,  and  raw  hides.  The  exports  for  1790  amounted  to 
$2,505,465.  The  duties  collected  on  imports  in  1789 
amounted  to  $145,329.56.  The  credit  of  American  merchants, 
however,  seems  to  have  been  very  poor  in  Europe  if  a  letter 
is  to  believed  which  was  written  on  the  29th  of  November 
1788  by  a  firm  in  Bordeaux  to  one  in  New  York,  an  extract 
from  which  read  thus :  "  The  trading  part  of  the  United 
States  have  lost  every  atom  of  their  character  and  credit  in 
Europe,  so  that  if  they  want  or  wish  to  keep  up  a  connexion 
with  the  old  world  they  must  turn  honest  from  policy  if  not 
from  principle  ;  and,  everything  considered,  we  are  really  sur- 
prised at  seeing  them  thus  far  so  totally  neglect  the  old  Eng- 
lish adage."  Brissot  de  Warville  also  states  that  he  heard 
many  complaints  regarding  the  double-dealing  of  American 
tradesmen,  but  he  affirms  that  this  trickiness  was  confined  to 
the  cities,  and  that  such  complaints  arose  chiefly  from  his  own 
countrymen  who  claimed  that  they  were  treated  less  justly 
than  were  the  English.  He  adds,  moreover,  that  the  French- 
men whom  he  met  in  America  spent  their  time  in  boasting 
of  the  services  which  France  had  rendered  to  the  Americans 
and  in  sneering  at  the  tastes  and  customs  of  the  latter. 

But  one  ship  seems  to  have  been  built  in  New  York  in 
1789,  but  there  were  American  ships  in  those  days  which 
were  carrying  the  American  flag  to  all  parts  of  the  world, 
one  Boston  vessel  being  then  on  a  voyage  of  circumnaviga- 
tion of  the  globe,  while  in  May  1789  a  vessel  returned  to 
New  York  which  had  been  the  first  to  display  the  American 
flag  in  the  River  Ganges  and  to  trade  there.    A  merchant 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  105 

vessel  had  gone  to  China  several  years  previous,  and  a  ship 
for  that  trade,  finished  in  New  York  in  October  1788,  102 
feet  keel  and  706  tons  burden,  cost  about  £  14,000.  On  the 
3rd  of  October  1789  there  were  117  vessels  in  New  York  har- 
bor and  during  the  year  there  entered  the  port  1107  sea  ves- 
sels, of  which  770  were  American,  308  British,  1 1  Spanish,  8 
Portuguese,  5  French,  3  Dutch,  and  2  Swedish.  On  the  9th 
of  April,  navigation  on  the  Hudson  River  was  no  longer  im- 
peded by  floating  ice.  The  principle  wharfs  in  the  city  were 
on  the  East  River  and  were  known  as  the  Albany  Pier,  on 
the  east  side  of  Coenties  Slip ;  Exchange  Slip,  at  the  foot  of 
Broad  Street ;  Coenties  Slip;  Old  Slip;  Burling  Slip;  Beek- 
man  Slip,  which  was  near  the  present  end  of  Fulton  Street ; 
Peck  Slip  ;  New  Slip,  now  called  James  Slip  ;  Oliver's  Slip ; 
and  Catherine  Slip.  By  an  Act  passed  April  17th  1784  no 
owner  of  a  wharf  was  to  charge  more  than  3s.  a  day  wharfage 
for  vessels  between  60  and  100  tons  burthen,  4s.  6d.  for  those 
between  100  and  200  tons,  5s.  for  those  between  200  and  300 
tons,  6s.  for  those  between  300  and  500  tons,  and  7s.  6d.  for 
those  over  500  tons.  In  the  case  of  ships  employed  between 
ports  in  this  State  the  wharfage  could  be  agreed  upon  by  the 
owner  of  the  wharf  and  the  master  of  the  vessel.  There  were 
five  ferries  running  from  the  city  to  New  Jersey  and  Brook- 
lyn, those  on  the  Hudson  River  being  that  to  Paulus  Hook, 
now  Jersey  City,  from  the  foot  of  Cortlandt  Street,  and  the 
Hobuck  ferry  from  the  foot  of  Vesey  Street,  the  former  one 
and  one  quarter  and  the  latter  one  and  three  quarters  miles 
long.  In  July  1788  the  Hobuck  Ferry  was  leased  to  Charles 
F.  Weissenfels  for  three  years  at  £5  a  year,  and  in  April  1789 
that  to  Paulus  Hook  was  leased  for  the  same  term  at  ,£50 
rent.  Farther  up  the  river  were  the  Weehawken,  Bull's,  and 
Fort  Lee  ferries  which  were  leased  for  from  twenty  to  thirty 
shillings  a  year.  The  ferry  to  Elizabethtown  from  the  foot  of 
Whitehall  Street  was  leased  for  £50  a  year  to  Thomas  Quig- 
ley,  and  in  April  1789  the  Common  Council  received  a  pe- 
tition regarding  the  Staten  Island  ferry,  which  had  appa- 
rently been  discontinued.  The  ferries  to  Brooklyn,  which 
consisted  of  a  very  few  houses,  were  two  in  number,  one  from 


io6 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


the  Fly  Market  stairs,  and  the  other  from  Peck  Slip.  In 
March  1789  the  Corporation  published  proposals  to  license 
six  persons,  during  its  pleasure,  to  run  ferryboats  to  Brook- 
lyn, seven  pounds  a  month  to  be  paid  for  the  privilege  of  run- 
ning two  boats  from  the  Fly  Market,  and  £5  10s.  for  those 
from  Peck  Slip.  Each  boat  was  to  be  manned  by  two  expe- 
rienced watermen,  to  be  furnished  with  four  oars  and  two 
boat  hooks,  and  to  have  the  owners  name  and  its  number 
painted  upon  it  in  plain  sight.  Each  person  was  to  own  one 
large  boat  for  the  carrying  of  horses,  cattle,  carriages,  heavy 
freight,  and  passengers,  and  one  small  boat  for  passengers  and 
light  freight,  four  of  each  kind  to  run  from  the  Fly  Market 
and  two  of  each  kind  from  Peck  Slip.  No  horned  cattle  were 
to  be  taken  off  or  landed  west  of  Catherine  Slip.  In  April 
the  Fly  Market  ferry  was  leased  to  four  men,  but  there  were 
no  applicants  for  the  Peck  Slip  Ferry.  The  rate  of  ferriage 
to  Brooklyn  was  fixed  by  an  Act  passed  on  the  28th  of  Feb- 
ruary 1789  and  was  as  follows  :  "  Horse,  with  or  without  sad- 
dle, iod.  ;  ox,  is.  3d. ;  other  cattle,  is.  ;  coach  body,  2s.  ; 
chaise,  chair,  or  sulkey  body,  9d.  ;  passenger,  2d."  The 
ferryman  was  to  have  a  boat  ready  on  each  side  of  the  river 
from  at  least  half  an  hour  before  sunrise  until  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  under  a  penalty  of  10s.  for  failure  so  to  do.  The 
ferry  house  at  Brooklyn  belonged  to  the  City  and  was  rented 
by  it  for  £155  a  year.  Accidents  were  frequent  upon  all  the 
ferries  and  the  time  of  starting  and  of  arriving  depended  en- 
tirely upon  the  weather.  The  propulsion  of  vessels  by  steam 
power  had  been  experimented  upon  by  three  inventors,  and 
several  successful  trips  had  been  made  on  the  Potomac  and 
Delaware  by  small  boats  fitted  with  an  engine,  but  none  had 
yet  appeared  in  New  York.  John  Fitch  of  Philadelphia  had 
received  from  the  New  York  legislature  in  March  1787  the 
sole  right  to  make  and  use  in  the  State  of  New  York  for  four- 
teen years,  a  steamboat  invented  by  him,  which  was  pro- 
pelled by  six  oars  on  each  side  worked  by  steam,  but  this 
grant  was  bitterly  contested  by  James  Rumsey,  of  Berkley 
Co.,  Virginia,  who  claimed  priority  of  invention  for  a  boat 
propelled  by  the  re-action  of  water  ejected  from  the  stern  by 


Climate,  Dress  mid  Customs,  etc. 


steam.  Mr.  Fitch's  boat  attained  a  speed  of  about  seven 
miles  an  hour,  and  that  of  Mr.  Rumsey  a  speed  of  three  miles 
an  hour.  Mr.  John  Stevens  of  Hoboken  also  claimed  to  have 
invented  a  boat  on  a  different  principle  in  January  1789,  but 
this  seems  to  have  been  similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Rumsey.  Mr. 
Fitch's  first  successful  exhibition  of  his  boat  in  New  York  is 
said  to  have  taken  place  on  the  Collect  in  1796. 

The  Marine  Society,  chartered  April  12th  1770,  was  in 
1789  under  the  presidency  of  James  Farquhar,  who  held  that 
office  from  1786  until  1825, — a  period  of  thirty-eight  years 
and  nine  months.  During  the  year  1789  the  Society  distrib- 
uted the  sum  of  ,£364  4s.  5d.  among  the  widows  and  orphans 
of  sailors. 

The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  had 
been  founded  on  the  17th  of  November  1785  and  in  1786 
thirty  trades  were  represented  in  it.  Its  initiation  fee  was 
$2.50  and  its  object  was  the  support  of  trade  and  charitable 
assistance  to  needy  tradesmen.  The  various  trades  had  their 
own  societies,  but  sent  delegates  to  the  General  Society, 
which  looked  after  the  interests  of  all.  In  1789  the  Society 
held  its  anniversary  meeting  on  the  6th  of  January  at  Sam 
Fraunces  tavern,  No.  49  Cortlandt  Street,  and  indulged  in  a 
dinner  at  which  one  of  the  patriotic  toasts  was  :  "  A  cobweb 
pair  of  breeches^  a  porcupine  saddle,  a  hard  trotting  horse, 
and  a  long  journey  to  all  the  enemies  of  freedom."  The  offi- 
cers elected  at  this  meeting  were,  chairman,  Anthony  Post, 
carpenter ;  deputy  chairman,  James  Bramble,  whitesmith  ; 
treasurer,  Wm.  J.  Elsworth,  pewterer ;  and  secretary,  John 
McComb,  jr.  During  the  year  the  Society  resolved  to  take 
no  part,  as  such,  in  politics,  and  it  was  also  decided  to  petition 
the  Legislature  to  incorporate  it,  but  the  act  of  incorporation 
was  not  passed  until  March  14th  1792  at  which  time  the  So- 
ciety had  over  two  hundred  members. 

The  Peruke-makers  Society  held  its  anniversary  dinner  on 
the  2nd  of  January  1789  at  the  house  of  Wm.  Ketchum,  and 
responded  heartily  to  the  toast :  "  May  contempt  be  the  fate  of 
such  among  us  as  struts  in  foreign  foppery  to  the  destruction 
of  American  trade  and  manufactures."    The  Society  of  Master 


io8 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Bakers  also  had  its  first  anniversary  dinner  at  the  house  of 
Lawrence  Heyer  on  the  26th  of  September  1789.  The  most 
interesting  commercial  event,  however,  in  1789  was  the  for- 
mation of  the  New  York  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of 
American  Manufactures.  In  October  1774  Congress  had 
passed  a  resolution  advising  the  non-importation  of  British 
goods  so  far  as  was  possible,  and  as  soon  as  the  war  was  ended, 
efforts  were  made  to  start  American  manufactures,  of  which 
efforts  Washington  was  a  strong  supporter,  expressing  the 
hope  that  clothing  of  American  material  would  be  used  alto- 
gether, and  approving  of  a  protective  tariff  provided  that  it 
should  not  interfere  with  the  interests  of  the  agricultural  por- 
tions of  the  community.  Manufacturing  Societies  were  ac- 
cordingly formed  in  the  larger  cities  and  every  item  of  news 
regarding  their  progress  was  heralded  with  enthusiasm.  Thus, 
when  it  was  announced  in  October  1789,  that  the  ship  Massa- 
chusetts had  been  provided  with  all  her  canvas  from  the  fac- 
tory at  Boston,  the  newspaper  editors  burst  into  song  and 
published  the  lines : 

"  Old  ocean  soon  shall  fleets  behold, 
Eclipsing  all  in  story  told. 
See  commerce  spread  the  swelling  sail ! 
See  our  own  canvass  catch  the  gale  ! 
And  waft  to  earth's  remotest  shores, 
Th'  exub'rance  of  our  boundless  stores." 

The  promoters  of  the  N.  Y.  Manufacturing  Society  met  at 
Rawson's  Tavern,  No.  82  Water  Street,  on  the  7th  of  January 
1789  and  chose  as  officers, 

President,  Melancthon  Smith. 

Vice-President,  White  Matlack. 

Treasurer,  Ezekiel  Robins. 

Secretary,  Cornelius  Cooper. 
Standing  Committee. 
Henry  Pope.  Henry  Ten  Broek. 

White  Matlack.  John  Van  Dyck. 

Ezekiel  Robins.  Jacob  Hallett. 

Early  in  February  another  meeting  was  held  at  which  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  to  raise  a  fund  by  subscription  for  the 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  109 

establishment  of  a  woollen  factory,  the  shares  to  be  £10  each, 
the  pious  promoters  of  the  scheme  adding  that  the  blessing  of 
heaven  would  be  called  down  upon  the  city  by  thus  furnish- 
ing employment  to  the  poor.  On  the  17th  of  February  a  no- 
tice headed  "  The  Test  of  Patriotism "  announced  that  so 
many  subscriptions  had  been  received  that  a  meeting  would 
be  held  on  the  23rd  to  choose  a  committee  to  draw  up  a  con- 
stitution, and  by  the  17th  of  March  £2 100  had  been  subscribed 
by  187  persons  among  whom  were  included  the  most  promi- 
nent men  in  the  city.  On  the  18th  of  March  a  constitution 
was  adopted  and  on  the  26th  of  that  month  the  following 
twelve  directors  and  treasurer  were  chosen, 


William  Maxwell.  John  Murray,  jr. 

Nicholas  Cruger.  James  Renwick. 

White  Matlack.  Matthew  Clarkson. 

Jacob  Hallett.  Wtilliam  W.  Gilbert. 

James  Watson.  James  Nicholson. 

John  Lawrence.  Henry  Ten  Broek. 
Treasurer,  Alexander  Robertson. 


On  the  6th  of  April  the  Society  advertised  for  a  manager 
for  its  factory,  and  on  the  30th  of  May  it  was  announced  that 
hatchelled  flax,  tow,  and  yarn,  could  be  obtained  at  the  fac- 
tory, No.  21  Crown  (Liberty)  Street.  On  the  3rd  of  April  the 
Common  Council  had  appointed  a  committee  to  negotiate  for 
the  sale  of  the  barracks  to  the  Society,  but  nothing  seems  to 
have  resulted  from  the  negociation  as  the  Society's  property 
apparently  consisted  only  of  its  factory  and  a  bleaching  ground 
at  Second  River,  N.  J.,  which  in  July  was  ready  to  receive 
linen  and  yarn  for  bleaching.  On  the  13th  of  July  it  was  ad- 
vertised that  a  person  who  had  in  miniature  all  the  machinery 
for  manufacturing  cotton  cloth  would  give  instruction  in  the 
art  if  it  were  made  worth  his  while,  but  whether  the  Society 
availed  itself  of  his  services  or  not  does  not  appear.  A  Mr. 
Stevenson  apparently  had  charge  of  the  factory,  which  was  in 
running  order  by  the  26th  of  November  and  on  the  22nd  of 
December  was  employing  14  weavers  and  130  spinners.  It  is 
said  that  the  Manufacturing  Society  invested  £900  in  build- 


IIO 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ing  and  ^"1400  in  machinery,  but  it  did  not  prove  a  success, 
and,  although  incorporated  on  the  1 6th  of  March  1790,  it  lan- 
guished for  a  number  of  years  and  finally  the  investment 
proved  a  total  loss  to  those  interested  in  it.  In  May  1789 
subscriptions  were  also  solicited  by  Abraham  Wilson,  at  No. 
89  William  Street,  for  the  establishment  of  a  factory  of  earthen 
and  cream-colored  ware,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  it 
was  announced  that  such  a  factory  had  been  established  on 
the  property  formerly  known  as  Vauxhall.  The  profits,  how- 
ever, from  this  business  do  not  appear  to  have  been  great,  for 
in  1790  Mr.  Wilson  applied  to  the  Legislature  for  assistance 
and  received  a  loan  of  ^"1500  from  the  State. 

The  only  bank  in  the  city  in  1789  was  the  Bank  of  New 
York,  established  in  1784  and  at  first  situated  in  the  Walton 
Mansion,  No.  156  Queen  Street,  whence  it  was  moved  in  1787 
to  a  house,  No.  1 1  Hanover  Square,  purchased  from  the  heirs 
of  Nathaniel  Hazard  in  1784.  It  occupied  these  premises  for 
ten  years,  being  again  moved  in  1797  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  Wall  and  William  Streets.  The  bank  officers  elected  on  the 
nth  and  12th  of  May  1789  were 

President,  Isaac  Roosevelt. 
Vice-President,  WILLIAM  MAXWELL. 
Cashier,  William  Seton. 

Directors. 

Nicholas  Low.  Robert  Bowne. 

Joshua  Waddington.      Samuel  Franklin. 
Daniel  McCormick.         Thos.  B.  Stoughten. 
Thomas  Randall.  William  Constable. 

Comfort  Sands.  William  Edgar. 

John  Murray. 

The  bank  was  open  every  day  except  Sundays,  Christmas, 
New  Year's,  Good  Friday,  Fourth  of  July,  and  special  holi- 
days appointed  by  law,  the  hours  of  business  being  from  ten 
to  one  in  the  forenoon  and  from  three  to  five  in  the  afternoon. 
Discounts  were  made  twice  a  week  at  seven  per  cent.,  and  for 
not  longer  than  thirty  days.  A  petition  to  the  State  Senate  was 
drawn  up  on  the  3rd  of  July  1789  praying  that  the  Bank  might 
be  incorporated,  as  the  liability  of  individual  ownership  pre- 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  1 1 1 

vented  its  growth ;  but,  although  a  bill  for  its  incorporation  was 
introduced  by  Mr.  Duane  on  the  16th  of  July  1789,  it  was  not 
chartered  until  1 791.  It  was  the  only  bank  in  the  city  until 
1799  when  that  of  the  Manhattan  Company  was  established. 
The  money  used  in  1789  was  in  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence, 
in  New  York  currency,  the  dollar,  which  was  worth  eight 
shillings,  being  merely  money  of  account  by  which  the  other 
was  measured.  The  greatest  difficulty  was  experienced  with 
the  copper  pence,  which  varied  in  value  in  the  different  States 
and  became  so  depreciated  in  value  as  to  be  refused  in  trade. 
On  the  2 1st  of  July  1789  the  Common  Council  recommended 
that  these  coins  be  received  at  the  rate  of  forty-eight  to  the 
shilling,  owing  to  their  importation  from  other  States  where 
their  value  was  less  than  in  New  York.  On  the  6th  of  Au- 
gust, however,  Alderman  Wool  found  it  necessary  to  expressly 
deny  that  he  had  made  Jersey  coppers  since  April  15th  1788, 
and  to  state  that  those  he  then  made  were  in  conformity  to 
law.  In  1790  the  trouble  became  so  great  that  the  Corpora- 
tion issued  tickets  for  small  amounts  in  exchange  for  shillings, 
which  could  be  redeemed  for  silver  at  the  City  Treasury  in 
sums  of  more  than  five  shillings.  The  dollar,  dime,  and  cent, 
were  adopted  in  New  York  by  an  Act  passed  January  27th 
1797. 

Isaac  Roosevelt,  the  president  of  the  bank,  was  a  sugar  re- 
finer whose  place  of  business  was  at  No.  159  Queen  (Pearl) 
Street,  nearly  opposite  the  Walton  mansion.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  from  1775  to  1777,  and  of 
the  Committee  of  Safety;  was  one  of  the  delegates  to  the 
Poughkeepsie  Convention  in  1788,  and  a  State  Senator  from 
1777  until  1792,  with  the  exception  of  the  year  1787.  In 
1779,  1784,  and  1 791  he  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  Ap- 
pointment. He  was  president  of  the  Bank  from  1786  until 
1 79 1  and  died  in  October  1794  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
The  death  of  his  wife  in  1789  caused  Washington  to  make  the 
following  entry  in  his  diary,  on  the  15th  of  October,  of  rea- 
sons for  not  attending  her  funeral,  "  first,  because  the  propri- 
ety of  accepting  any  invitation  of  this  sort  appeared  very 
questionable,  and  secondly,  (though  to  do  it  in  this  instance 


112 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


might  not  be  improper,)  because  it  might  be  difficult  to  dis- 
criminate in  cases  which  might  thereafter  happen." 

William  Maxwell,  the  vice-president  of  the  Bank,  had 
been  engaged  in  business  in  New  York  before  the  Revolution 
and  died  in  the  city  in  February  1792.  William  Seton,  the 
cashier,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1746,  and,  coming  to  America 
in  early  life,  carried  on  a  shipping  and  importing  business 
until  his  death  in  1798.  He  was  cashier  of  the  Bank  from 
the  time  of  its  establishment  until  1794. 

There  was  also  but  one  insurance  company  in  the  city  in 
1789,  called  the  Mutual  Assurance  Company  against  Fire,  which 
had  its  beginning  on  the  3rd  of  April  1787  when  24  members 
signed  a  deed  of  settlement  drawn  by  Alexander  Hamilton. 
On  the  10th  of  May  1787  the  company  was  organized  by  the 
election  of  three  trustees,  John  Pintard  being  appointed  secre- 
tary, and  William  Maxwell  treasurer.  No  insurance  was  to  be 
made  upon  gilding,  historical  or  landscape  paintings,  stucco  or 
carving,  nor  were  they  to  be  replaced  if  destroyed.  Until  1798 
no  buildings  were  insured  at  a  greater  distance  than  two  miles 
from  the  City  Hall.  In  1787  the  company  also  adopted  as  a 
badge  an  oval  tin  plate,  painted  black,  with  the  words  "  Mutual 
Assurance  "  and  a  number  in  gilt,  which  was  placed  on  the 
houses  insured  until  1809  when  the  company  was  incorporated 
as  the  Mutual  Insurance  Company  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
which  in  1845  became  the  Knickerbocker  Fire  Insurance 
Company.  The  rate  of  insurance,  in  1789,  on  frame  houses 
with  brick  or  stone  fronts  and  the  sides  filled  in  with  brick, 
was  £g  5s.  for  ,£500  insurance  for  seven  years,  and,  if  it  was 
found  that  the  premiums  were  sufficient  to  pay  losses  and  ex- 
penses, £j  were  to  be  returned  at  the  end  of  the  seven  years, 
making  the  insurance  for  that  time  £2  5s.  Losses  were  to 
be  paid  or  the  premises  repaired  within  ninety  days  after  the 
adjustment  of  the  loss.  The  originator  of  the  Mutual  Assur- 
ance Company  was  John  Pintard,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1759  and  died  on  the  21st  of  June  1844,  after  a  long  life 
active  in  all  good  works.  After  graduation  from  the  College 
of  New  Jersey  in  1776  he  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  American 
army  and  was  for  several  years  a  clerk  to  his  uncle  Lewis 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  113 

Pintard  who  was  Commissioner  for  American  Prisoners  in 
New  York.  For  a  time  he  was  editor  of  the  N.  Y.  Daily 
Advertiser,  was  appointed  City  Inspector  in  1804,  assisted  in 
the  establishment  of  the  first  Savings  Bank  in  1819,  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  American  Bible  Society  and  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  took  a  great 
part  in  the  establishment  of  schools  in  the  city,  and  was  one 
of  the  chief  promoters  of  the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
In  1789,  when  one  writer  described  him  as  "  a  singular  mix- 
ture of  heterogeneous  particles,"  he  was  already  agitating  the 
subject  of  the  formation  of  an  antiquarian  society,  but  this 
project  was  not  executed  in  New  York  until  1804  when  the 
N.  Y.  Historical  Society  was  founded  through  his  efforts. 
He  was  secretary  of  the  Assurance  Company  from  1787  until 
1792,  William  Maxwell  being  its  treasurer  during  the  same 
period.  In  1789  the  office  of  the  Company  was  at  No.  57 
King  (Pine)  Street. 

The  national  societies  in  the  city  in  1789  were  four  in  num- 
ber, their  object  being  the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  fellow- 
countrymen  and  the  rendering  of  charitable  assistance  to  those 
in  distress.  The  St.  Andrew's  Society  had  been  formed  in 
1756  and  revived  in  1784,  and  during  the  year  1789  received 
twelve  new  members.  Its  officers,  elected  in  December  1788 
were  : 

President,  Hon.  Robert  R.  Livingston. 
Vice-Presidents,  William  Kerr  and  William  Maxwell. 
Treasurer,  Alexander  Robertson. 
Chaplain,  Rev.  Dr.  John  Mason. 
Physician,  James  Tillery. 
Secretary,  Robert  Lenox. 

Managers. 

Hay  Stevenson.  William  Wilson. 

Alexander  J.  Hamilton.         James  Renwick. 
Andrew  Mitchell.  John  Turner. 

The  English  residents  of  the  city  had  had  an  association 
before  the  Revolution,  but  the  St.  George's  Society  dates 
from  1786  when  it  had  78  members.    In  1789  its  officers  were: 

President,  Theophylacte  Bache. 
Vice-President,  William  Seton. 

8 


ii4 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Asst.  Vice-President,  Joshua  Waddington. 
Secy  and  Treasurer^  John  Wilkes. 

Stewards. 

Gerard  Walton.  John  Delafield. 

John  Berry.  Samuel  Corp. 

John  Evers. 

During  the  year  1789  this  Society  received  14  new  mem- 
bers. The  Queen's  Birthday  was  celebrated  in  New  York  on 
the  19th  of  January  1789  by  an  entertainment  given  by  Sir 
John  Temple,  the  British  consul-general. 

The  St.  Patrick's  Society  in  1789  was  under  the  direction 
of  William  Constable,  president ;  Alexander  Macomb,  vice- 
president ;  Hugh  Gaine,  treasurer;  and  Robert  R.  Waddell, 
secretary. 

Its  Council  consisted  of : 

John  Shaw.  Sampson  Fleming. 

Carlisle  Pollock.  Thomas  Roach. 

William  Edgar.  Oliver  Templeton. 

Thomas  Beebe.  General  Maunsel. 

William  Constable,  the  president  of  the  Society  was  one  of 
the  leading  merchants  of  the  city.  He  was  the  son  of  John 
Constable,  a  physician  who  died  in  New  York  on  the  17th  of 
April  1785  at  the  age  of  57  years.  William  Constable  was 
born  in  Dublin  on  the  1st  of  January  1752,  received  his  edu- 
cation at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  coming  to  America 
served  as  an  aide-de-camp  to  Lafayette  during  the  Revolution. 
After  the  war  he  settled  as  a  merchant  in  Philadelphia  but 
soon  removed  to  New  York  and  entered  into  business  upon 
capital  furnished  in  part  by  Robert  and  Governeur  Morris 
who  became  his  partners.  He  died  in  New  York  on  the  22nd 
of  May  1803  and  was  buried  in  St.  Paul's  churchyard,  where 
also  repose  the  remains  of  his  father,  mother,  and  wife.  The 
St.  Patrick's  Society  celebrated  the  17th  of  March  1789  by  a 
dinner  at  the  City  Tavern,  "  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  that 
nation  (as  is  customary)  feasted  on  Codfish  and  Potatoes,  the 
dish  usually  provided  for  the  day,  in  large  companies." 

The  German  Society  was  organized  on  the  4th  of  October 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc.  1 1 5 

1784,  the  initiation  fee  being  two  dollars  and  a  half.  Its  of- 
ficers in  1789  were  : 

President,  Frederick  William  von  Steuben. 

Vice-President,  Rev.  Dr.  Kunze. 

Treasurer,  David  Grim. 
Secretary,  William  Wilmerding. 
ind  Secretary,  John  L.  Merkel. 
Solicitor,  George  Gilfert. 

Assistants. 

Dr.  George  C.  Anthon.  John  H.  Leucker. 

Henry  Arcularius.  Henry  Oertley. 

John  H.  Brand.  Christian  Schultz. 

John  Tillman. 

In  1789  the  Society  had  99  members,  who  displayed  their 
good  citizenship  at  their  annual  meeting  on  the  7th  of  Janu- 
ary 1789  by  unanimously  resolving  to  unite  in  encouraging 
American  manufactures  in  preference  to  those  of  other  coun- 
tries. On  the  nth  of  November  the  Society  celebrated  its 
anniversary  by  marching  from  the  Lutheran  school  house  to 
the  German  church  in  William  Street  where  prayer  was  of- 
fered by  Dr.  Kunze,  an  oration  in  German  was  delivered  by 
William  Wilmerding,  and  one  in  English  by  Edward  Living- 
ston. The  company  then  adjourned  to  Fraunces'  Tavern  in 
Courtlandt  Street  and  partook  of  a  dinner  in  company  with 
the  officers  of  the  St.  George's,  St.  Patrick's,  and  St.  An- 
drew's Societies. 

The  Masonic  Lodges  in  the  city  in  1789  were  eight  in 
number : 

St.  John's  No.  2,  met  at  the  Coffee  House.  Jacob  Morton,  master. 
Independent  Royal  Arch,  No.  8.  George  Garland, 

St.  Andrew's  Lodge,  No.  169.  White  Matlack, 

Lodge  No.  210.  Thomas  Thomas, 

St.  Patrick's,  No.  212.  HENRY  Ludlam, 

St.  John's,  No.  4.  Arnout  Cannon, 

Grand  I^odge,  No.  5.  John  Martin, 

Holland  Lodge,  met  at  Sam  Fraunces'  Tavern.  R.  J.  Vandenbrock. 


Among  the  officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New 
York  were   Robert   R.  Livingston,  grand   master;  Peter 


n6 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


McDougall,  senior  grand  warden  ;  Jacob  Morton,  grand  sec- 
retary ;  White  Matlack,  grand  treasurer ;  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Abram  Beach,  chaplain.  On  the  25th  of  June  ten  Masonic 
Lodges  celebrated  the  Festival  of  St.  John  in  the  city  by 
marching  from  the  Coffee  House  to  St.  Paul's  Chapel  where 
a  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Beach,  an  anthem 
written  by  Brother  Samuel  Low  of  Holland  Lodge  was  sung 
by  the  Musical  Society  to  music  composed  by  Mr.  Phila,  and 
a  collection  was  taken  for  the  benefit  of  the  Manumission  So- 
ciety. The  first  verse  of  the  anthem  composed  by  Mr.  Low 
was : 

"  From  regions  of  immortal  bliss  above, 
Impart  thy  genial  emanations,  Love  / 
.  Soul  of  our  Order  !  Patron  of  this  day  ! 
Inspire  our  hearts  and  prompt  the  solemn  lay." 

From  the  church  the  lodges  proceeded  to  a  collation  at  the 
City  Tavern. 

Purely  social  clubs  had  not  yet  gained  a  firm  root  in  the 
city  and  the  only  one  publicly  mentioned  in  1789  was  the 
Black  Friars  Society,  founded  November  10th  1784,  with  a 
Father,  Chancellor,  Cardinals  and  Priors.  Among  its  mem- 
bers in  1789  were  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman,  Benjamin  Graves, 
John  Stagg,  Dr.  James  Tillery,  Bernard  Hart,  Dr.  Benjamin 
Kissam,  Richard  Harvvood,  John  Fisher  and  Oliver  Glean. 
On  the  9th  of  May  this  society  held  a  festival  at  the  Friary, 
dinner  being  served  at  half-past  four,  and  on  the  10th  of  No- 
vember its  anniversary  was  celebrated  by  an  oration  by  Dr. 
Tillery  and  a  dinner  at  which  eleven  toasts  were  drank  includ- 
ing one  to  "  The  Fair  Daughters  of  Columbia — may  they  ever 
find  a  friend  in  a  Friar."  This  society,  which  was  organized 
for  charitable  as  well  as  social  purposes,  met  twice  a  month  at 
the  Friary,  No.  56  Pine  Street,  and  continued  to  exist  until 
the  year  1800. 

The  social  amusements  of  the  wealthier  class  of  citizens 
consisted  chiefly  in  occasional  balls,  tea  parties,  and  visits  to 
the  tea-gardens  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  Brissot  de  War- 
ville  writes  :  "  As  in  England,  tea  forms  the  basis  of  the  prin- 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


117 


cipal  parties  in  this  city.  It  is  to  tea  that  a  stranger  is  in- 
vited ;  it  is  tea  that  you  go  to  drink  in  the  beautiful  garden 
of  M.  Cummings,  the  Florida  Garden  of  New  York.  It  is 
situated  on  the  North  River  and  the  view  is  charming." 
This  garden  in  May  1789  passed  into  the  hands  of  George 
Leaycraft,  its  former  proprietor  George  Cummings  then  open- 
ing a  porter  house  at  the  Fly  Market.  Other  popular  gar- 
dens were  Perry's  on  the  west  side  of  the  present  Union 
Square,  and  Williamson's  on  the  east  side  of  Greenwich 
Street  above  the  present  Harrison  Street.  Private  carriages 
were  few  in  number,  although  elegant  in  equipment,  and  ex- 
peditions to  the  suburbs  were  chiefly  made  in  conveyances 
hired  from  one  of  the  six  livery  stables  in  the  city  or  at  the 
coach  stand  at  the  Coffee  House.  Charles  and  James  War- 
ner, whose  stable  was  at  No.  9  Great  George  Street,  adver- 
tised coaches,  phaetons,  chairs,  sulkeys,  and  saddle  horses  for 
hire.  The  coach  fare  was  one  shilling  for  each  passenger  to 
any  point  within  one  mile  of  the  City  Hall,  and  three  shill- 
ings an  hour  for  waiting  in  the  city.  To  go  to  the  two  mile 
stone  and  around  by  Cummings'  Garden  cost  six  shillings  for 
a  party,  and  two  shillings  for  each  hour  that  the  coach  was 
detained.  The  fare  to  Harlem  for  the  day  was  thirty-eight 
shillings,  and  to  Kingsbridge,  forty  shillings.  The  fare  for 
shorter  rides  was  for  Horn's  tour,  8s. ;  Lake's  tour,  10s. ;  to 
Murray's  for  half  a  day,  14s.;  to  Gracey's  tavern,  1 6s. ;  and  to 
Apthorp's,  16s.  In  June  1789  a  pair  of  dark  bay  horses,  14 
hands  3  inches  high,  one  five  and  the  other  seven  years  old, 
well  broken  to  carriage  or  saddle  were  offered  for  sale  for  £Zoy 
and  a  bay  saddle  horse  155^  hands  high,  five  years  old,  was  of- 
fered for  thirty  guineas. 

The  fashionable  balls  of  the  time  may  be  judged  of  from 
a  description,  taken  from  Griswold's  American  Court,  of  one 
given,  on  the  14th  of  May  1789,  in  honor  of  Washington  by 
Comte  de  Moustier,  the  French  ambassador :  "  After  the 
President  came,  a  company  of  eight  couple  formed  in  the 
other  room  and  entered,  two  by  two,  and  began  a  most  curi- 
ous dance  called  En  Ballet.  Four  of  the  gentlemen  were 
dressed  in  French  regimentals  and  four  in  American  uni- 


n8 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


forms  ;  four  of  the  ladies  with  blue  ribbons  round  their  heads 
and  American  flowers,  and  four  with  red  roses  and  flowers  of 
France.  These  danced  in  a  very  curious  manner,  sometimes 
two  and  two,  sometimes  four  couple  and  four  couple,  and 
then  in  a  moment  all  together,  which  formed  great  enter- 
tainment for  the  spectators,  to  show  the  happy  union  between 
the  two  nations.  Three  rooms  were  filled  and  the  fourth  was 
most  elegantly  set  off  as  a  place  for  refreshment.  A  long 
table  crossed  this  room  from  wall  to  wall.  The  whole  wall 
inside  was  covered  with  shelves  filled  with  cakes,  oranges, 
apples,  wines  of  all  sorts,  ice  creams,  etc.,  and  highly  lighted 
up.  A  number  of  servants  from  behind  the  table  supplied 
the  guests  with  everything  they  wanted,  from  time  to  time, 
as  they  came  in  to  refresh  themselves,  which  they  did  as  often 
as  a  party  had  done  dancing  and  made  way  for  another.  We 
retired  about  ten  o'clock,  in  the  height  of  the  jollity."  The 
refreshments  served  to  the  guests  upon  these  occasions  are 
probably  enumerated  with  tolerable  fulness  in  the  advertise- 
ment of  Adam  Pryor,  Federal  Confectioner,  who  in  May  1789 
removed  from  Broadway  to  No.  59  Wall  Street.  This  sets 
forth  the  sale  of  coriander,  caraway,  almond,  and  cinnamon 
comfits ;  burnt  almonds,  barley  sugar,  peppermint,  orange, 
lemon,  cinnamon  and  hartshorn  drops  ;  pastry,  jellies,  blanc- 
mange, whip-syllabub,  floating  island,  rocky  island,  pound 
cake  for  weddings,  and  brandy  preserves.  As  the  English 
fashions  in  dress  then  prevailed  in  New  York  some  of  the  cos- 
tumes at  balls  possibly  resembled  in  some  degree  those  worn  at 
a  magnificent  entertainment  given  in  London  on  the  4th  of 
June  1789  in  honor  of  the  King's  birthday.  On  that  occasion 
Queen  Charlotte's  gown  was  of  a  lilac  ground  covered  with 
crape  embroidered  in  green,  and  flounced  with  five  rows  of 
deep  lace,  with  about  thirty  large  diamond  buttons  and  tassels 
fastened  on  the  petticoat.  Her  stomacher  was  wholly  of  bril- 
liants and  her  head  dress  was  of  blonde  lace  ornamented  with 
diamonds  and  two  small  feathers.  The  Princess  Royal  wore 
a  bodice  and  train  of  red  and  white  striped  gauze,  and  a  white 
petticoat  covered  with  a  crape  embroidery  of  green  and  silver. 
Her  shoes  were  of  white  satin  covered  with  silver  and  steel 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


119 


beads,  with  a  plate  of  silver  in  the  form  of  a  shield  running 
toward  the  toe,  while  around  the  quarters  was  a  deep  span- 
gled silver  fringe.  Other  ladies  were  principally  dressed  in 
white  trimmed  with  blue  and  having  fringes  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, while  around  their  heads  were  fillets  bearing  inscriptions 
complimentary  to  the  King.  The  Prince  of  Wales  was  clad 
in  a  corbeau  and  blue  striped  silk  coat  and  breeches,  the  latter 
with  silver  embroidery  down  the  seams,  and  an  embroidered 
waistcoat  of  silver  tissue.  The  other  gentlemen  wore  em- 
broidered cloth  and  silk  suits  with  cut  steel  buttons.  In  one 
respect  the  New  York  entertainments  were  far  inferior  to 
those  given  in  London.  M.  de  Moustier's  servants  between 
the  table  and  the  wall  sink  into  complete  insignificance  when 
compared  with  the  hundred  valets  in  scarlet  coats  lined  with 
blue,  and  blue  waistcoats  embroidered  with  gold,  and  the 
hundred  footmen  in  sky-blue  coats  and  waistcoats  adorned 
with  silver  lace,  who  waited  on  the  company  at  an  entertain- 
ment given  by  the  Spanish  Ambassador  in  England  on  the 
2nd  of  June  1789  in  celebration  of  George  the  Third's  recov- 
ery of  his  mind. 

Fashionable  society  in  New  York  in  1789  seems  to  have 
consisted  of  about  three  hundred  persons,  as  that  number  at- 
tended a  ball  on  the  7th  of  May  at  which  Washington  was 
present.  But  according  to  Noah  Webster,  the  city  was  noted 
for  sociability  and  lack  of  class  distinction.  He  writes  in 
1788  :  "  In  point  of  sociability  and  hospitality,  New  York  is 
hardly  exceeded  by  any  town  in  the  United  States.  The 
principal  families  by  associating  in  their  public  amusements 
with  the  middle  class  of  well-bred  citizens  render  their  rank 
subservient  to  the  happiness  of  society,  and  prevent  that 
party-spirit  which  an  affectation  of  superiority  in  certain  fami- 
lies in  Philadelphia  has  produced  in  that  city, — a  spirit  which 
disturbs  or  destroys  their  public  amusements,  and  which  has 
given  the  citizens,  too  generally  perhaps,  the  reputation  of 
being  inhospitable."  In  a  note  stating  that  the  general  char- 
acter of  citizens  in  large  towns  is  affected,  in  some  measure, 
by  the  manners  of  the  prevailing  sect  or  nation,  he  adds: 
u  The  neatness,  industry  and  parsimony  of  the  Dutch,  were 


120 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


the  characteristics  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  before  the  rev- 
olution, and  will  probably  be  visible  in  their  manners  a  long 
time  after  national  distinctions  are  lost." 

The  amusements  of  those  whom  Mr.  Webster  would  prob- 
ably have  designated  as  the  lower  classes  do  not  seem  to  have 
received  much  attention  from  the  old  chroniclers.  Perhaps 
some  idea  of  them  may  be  gained  from  a  law  passed  March 
1st  1788  by  which  tavern-keepers  were  made  subject  to  fine 
and  imprisonment  should  they  allow  cock-fighting,  gaming, 
card-playing,  dice,  billiard  tables  or  shuffle  boards  in  their 
houses.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  frequenters  of 
the  taverns,  who  composed  a  large  portion  of  the  community, 
were  at  some  time  addicted  to  these  amusements.  Gambling 
with  dice  or  cards  was  an  amusement  among  all  classes  of  the 
community,  a  game  with  cards,  called  Pharaoh,  being  the 
most  popular  means  of  the  transfer  of  money.  Other  popu- 
lar games  of  cards  were  whist,  loo,  and  quadrille.  An  Act 
passed  February  20th  1788  punished  the  winner  of  more  than 
£\o  at  a  sitting  by  a  forfeit  of  five  times  the  amount  won, 
while  either  the  winner  or  loser  of  £  10  at  a  time  or  £20  in 
twenty-four  hours  might  be  indicted  and  fined  five  times  the 
amount  won  or  lost.  Winners  by  fraud  and  deceit  were  to 
receive  corporal  punishment.  Drunkenness  was  another  pop- 
ular failing  which  was  punished  by  three  shillings  fine  or  two 
hours  imprisonment  in  the  stocks,  such  a  conviction  being 
without  appeal.  By  an  Act  of  March  1st  1788  a  license  to  re- 
tail liquor  in  the  city  was  to  cost  not  less  than  forty  shillings 
nor  more  than  £20  in  the  discretion  of  a  commissioner,  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Governor  and  Council  of  Appointment,  who 
was  to  give  permits  to  sell  in  quantities  less  than  five  gallons 
for  one  year  and  to  receive  a  salary  of  £60  instead  of  fees. 
Applicants  for  license  were  required  to  give  a  bond  of  £50 
not  to  keep  a  disorderly  house,  and  any  innkeeper  who  gave 
credit  for  liquor  to  a  larger  amount  than  ten  shillings  was  to 
lose  the  debt.  The  Excise  Commissioner  in  1789  was  Will- 
iam W.  Gilbert  who  collected  ^1028  5s.  4d.  during  the  year, 
of  which  £800  was  given  to  the  Hospital.  In  September 
1784  the  number  of  taverns  was  so  great  that  the  Grand  Jury 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


121 


recommended  that  fewer  be  licensed,  but  in  1789  there  appear 
in  the  directory  the  names  of  169  tavern  and  lodging-house 
keepers,  and  there  appear  to  have  been  nearly  twice  that  num- 
ber in  the  city,  as  between  the  1st  of  March  1788  and  the  first 
of  March  1789,  there  were  granted  330  tavern  licenses  at  thirty 
shillings  each,  of  which  six  shillings  went  to  the  Mayor  and 
six  shillings  to  the  City  Clerk.  A  few  of  the  more  prominent 
tavernkeepers  in  1789,  besides  Edward  Bardin  who  kept  the 
City  Tavern,  were  Samuel  Fraunces,  the  steward  of  Washing- 
ton, whose  tavern  at  No.  49  Cortlandt  Street  was  managed 
by  his  wife ;  John  Fraunces,  who  opened  the  True  American 
in  August  1785  at  No.  3  Great  Dock  (Pearl)  Street,  whence 
he  removed  in  May  1789  to  the  historic  building  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Broad  and  Pearl  Streets;  and  John  Simmons, 
whose  tavern  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Wall  and  Nas- 
sau Streets,  and  who  was  a  man  of  such  bulk  that,  at  the  time 
of  his  funeral,  the  pier  between  the  door  and  window  of  the 
house  had  to  be  torn  out  to  allow  the  passage  of  his  coffin. 
Others  were  Aaron  Aorson,  corner  of  Nassau  and  George 
(Spruce)  Streets,  who  had  been  a  captain  in  the  revolutionary 
army  and  was  present  at  the  death  of  General  Montgomery 
at  Quebec  ;  Jonathan  Pearsee,  No.  28  Nassau  Street  corner 
of  Ann  Street ;  John  Battin,  corner  of  Nassau  and  John 
Streets ;  George  Rawson,  No.  82  Water  Street  ;  Widow 
Bradford,  at  the  Coffee  House  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Wall  and  Water  Streets  ;  and  Richard  Varian,  at  the  Bull's 
Head  Tavern  on  the  Bowery  Lane.  The  price  of  board  in 
the  city  was  made  an  object  of  attack  by  "  A  Traveller"  in 
May  1789,  who  asserted  that  it  was  twice  as  high  as  in  Phila- 
delphia, which  was  owing,  in  part,  to  the  fact  that  New  York 
was  only  about  one  half  as  large  as  Philadelphia.  He  further 
asserted  that  this  was  a  good  reason  why  Congress  should  re- 
side in  the  latter  rather  than  in  the  former  city,  as  it  should 
be  remembered  that  the  board  of  the  congressmen  was  paid 
out  of  the  common  treasury  to  which  every  citizen  of  the 
United  States  contributed  his  share.  This  was  followed  by 
a  card  in  another  newspaper  warning  the  boarding-house 
keepers  that  they  were  injuring  themselves  and  the  city  by 


122 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


charging  too  much  and  causing  congressmen  to  consider  them- 
selves imposed  upon.  The  other  side  of  the  matter  was  then 
shown  by  a  denial  that  board  was  higher  than  elsewhere,  as  it 
ranged  from  seven  to  three  dollars  a  week  and  one  of  the 
houses  furnished  from  seven  to  nine  dishes  a  day,  with  four 
sorts  of  liquor. 

Servants  could  be  obtained  from  the  Intelligence  Office  of 
William  Cavenough  at  No.  22  Great  Dock  Street,  but  those 
in  the  wealthier  families  were  negro  slaves,  whose  lot  was  by 
no  means  a  hard  one.  The  treatment  of  them  was  regulated 
by  an  Act  passed  February  22nd  1788  which  provided  that 
every  negro,  mulatto,  or  mestee  who  was  a  slave  at  that  time 
should  remain  so  for  life,  unless  manumitted,  and  that  the 
children  of  slave  women  should  be  slaves.  Selling  any  slave 
brought  into  the  State  after  the  1st  of  June  1785  was  punish- 
able by  a  fine  of  ^"ioo  and  the  freeing  of  the  slave,  and  a  per- 
son buying  a  slave  with  the  intention  of  removing  him  from 
the  State  or  acting  in  such  manner  as  agent  for  another  was 
subject  to  a  like  penalty.  Employing,  or  harboring  a  slave 
without  his  master's  permission  was  forbidden  under  a  penalty 
of  £5  for  every  twenty-four  hours  he  was  detained  up  to  his 
value,  and  if  the  slave  were  lost  the  person  harboring  him  was 
liable  for  his  value.  No  one  could  trade  with  a  slave,  without 
his  master's  permission,  under  penalty  of  forfeiting  £^  and 
three  times  the  value  of  the  goods  traded,  while  selling  liquor 
to  a  slave,  without  the  owner's  permission,  was  punishable  by 
forty  shillings  fine.  The  negroes,  however,  seem  to  have 
found  means  of  obtaining  liquor,  as  appears  by  an  advertise- 
ment in  February  1789  :  "  To  be  sold  for  no  other  fault  than 
a  little  Intoxication,  a  Negro  Fellow,  aged  20  years,  expert  at 
waiting  and  every  kind  of  House-Work."  Advertisements 
for  runaway  slaves  and  warnings  against  harboring  them  were 
also  of  frequent  occurrence.  A  slave  striking  a  white  person 
was  to  be  tried  as  for  petit  larceny,  and  his  right  to  a  trial  by 
jury  was  confined  to  capital  cases  ;  slaves  could  only  be  wit- 
nesses in  criminal  cases  for  and  against  each  other.  Persons 
collusively  selling  aged  and  decrepit  slaves  to  those  unable  to 
support  them  were  liable  to  a  fine  of  £20  and  were  still  to  be 


Climate,  Dress  and  Customs,  etc. 


123 


regarded  as  owners,  while  allowing  a  slave  to  beg  was  to  be 
punished  by  a  fine  of  ^"io.  A  slave  under  fifty  years  of  age 
could  be  manumitted  upon  a  certificate  from  the  Mayor,  Re- 
corder, and  two  Aldermen,  that  he  appeared  to  be  under  fifty 
years  of  age  and  capable  of  supporting  himself ;  but  in  all 
other  cases  the  manumittor  had  to  give  security  that  the  slave 
would  not  become  a  charge  upon  the  city.  Those  set  free  by 
will  were  to  be  considered  free,  but  if  no  certificate  or  security 
were  given,  the  estate  of  the  former  owner  was  to  be  liable  for 
their  maintenance.  For  the  benefit  of  this  portion  of  the 
population  there  was  formed  about  the  year  1785,  chiefly  by 
Quakers,  the  Society  for  promoting  the  Manumission  of 
Slaves,  the  officers  of  which  in  1789  were  : 

President,  John  Jay. 
Vice-president,  Hartfield  Clarkson. 
Treasurer,  John  Murray,  jr. 
Secretary,  John  Keese. 

Standing  Co?nmittee. 
Leonard  M.  Cutting.  Andrew  Low. 

Thomas  Burling.  Effingham  Embree. 

Melancthon  Smith.  John  Lawrence. 

The  society  was  incorporated  in  1808.  In  November  1786 
it  added  to  its  good  work  by  establishing  a  free  school  for  the 
children  of  slaves  still  in  bondage,  provided  that  they  had 
reached  the  age  of  nine  years  and  were  capable  of  spelling 
words  of  one  syllable.  This  school  proved  to  be  very  suc- 
cessful, having,  after  the  first  six  months  of  its  existence,  from 
forty  to  sixty  scholars  in  regular  attendance,  but  in  October 
1789  it  was  in  need  of  funds. 


IV. 


Churches  and  Clergy. 

By  the  constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York,  adopted  in 
1777,  clergymen  were  declared  to  be  ineligible  to  hold  any 
civil  or  military  office  or  place  in  the  State,  as  they  were  "  by 
their  profession  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  and  the  cure 
of  souls,  and  ought  not  to  be  diverted  from  the  great  duties 
of  their  function."  Subsequent  to  the  Revolution  the  most 
important  enactments  which  had  been  made  with  regard  to 
religious  matters  were  an  Act  passed  April  6th  1784  enabling 
all  denominations  to  appoint  trustees  for  their  churches,  and 
an  Act  passed  April  20th  1784  repealing  colonial  laws  com- 
pelling the  inhabitants  of  the  counties  of  New  York,  Rich- 
mond, Westchester,  and  Queen's  to  pay  taxes  for  the  support 
of  the  Episcopal  clergy  "  contrary  to  every  principle  of  justice 
and  sound  policy,"  by  color  of  which  laws  it  had  been  pre- 
tended that  the  Episcopal  churches  had  been  established  in 
those  counties.  The  laws  regarding  the  observation  of  the 
Sabbath  were  strict.  Labor  or  sale  of  goods  on  Sunday  was 
punishable  by  a  fine  of  ten  shillings,  and  no  persons  were  to 
meet  in  the  streets  and  there  play  or  make  a  noise  under  a 
penalty  of  two  shillings  fine,  or  in  default  of  that  payment,  of 
one  hour's  imprisonment  in  the  Bridewell.  No  innkeeper 
was  to  sell  liquor  on  Sunday  to  any  persons  but  travellers  or 
regular  lodgers,  nor  was  he  to  allow  drunkenness  in  his  house 
at  any  time  under  penalty  of  twenty  shillings  fine.  Two  con- 
stables, armed  with  their  staves,  were  to  walk  the  streets  dur- 
ing the  time  of  divine  service  and  cause  this  law  to  be  ob- 
served, with  full  power  to  enter  inns  and  report  tippling. 
This  law,  however,  was  doubtless  evaded  so  far  as  the  taverns 
were  concerned,  and  on  the  23rd  of  May  1789  a  citizen  com- 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


125 


plained  because  the  theatre  was  allowed  to  be  kept  open  on 
Saturday  evening  and  the  streets  were  crowded  with  playing 
children  on  Sunday  evening.  Swearing  was  punishable  by  a 
fine  of  three  shillings,  and  in  default  of  immediate  payment 
the  offender,  if  more  than  sixteen  years  of  age,  could  be  im- 
prisoned in  the  stocks  for  one  hour  for  each  offence  or  two 
hours  for  a  number  of  offences  committed  at  the  same  time. 
Such  a  conviction  was  without  appeal. 

The  city  churches  in  1789  were  twenty-two  in  number, 
representing  thirteen  denominations,  viz :  Reformed  Dutch, 
Protestant  Episcopal,  French  Huguenot,  Quaker,  Lutheran, 
Jewish,  Presbyterian,  Baptist,  Moravian,  German  Reformed, 
Methodist,  Roman  Catholic,  and  Independent  Congregational. 

Of  these,  that  known  as  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Protes- 
tant Dutch  Church  was,  and  now  is,  the  oldest  in  the  city, 
having  been  organized  in  the  year  1628.  Its  government  was, 
and  now  is,  by  a  consistory  of  twelve  elders  and  twelve  dea- 
cons who  elected  their  own  successors, — generally  themselves, 
— the  members  of  the  church  having  no  part  in  its  govern- 
ment. In  October  1764  Abel  Hardenbrook,  a  church  mem- 
ber, had  brought  suit  against  the  Consistory  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  his  right  to  vote  for  church  officers,  but  had 
been  entirely  defeated.  The  action  was  tried  in  the  Supreme 
Court  on  the  26th  of  April  1765  and  after  a  trial  of  twenty- 
one  hours  the  jury  were  directed  to  bring  in  a  special  verdict 
upon  matters  of  fact.  Their  names  wrere  Samuel  Verplanck, 
John  H.  Cruger,  David  Clarkson,  Robert  Griffin,  Lawrence 
Kortright,  Beverly  Robinson,  Thomas  White,  John  Shoals, 
William  Bedlow,  John  Provoost,  Lewis  Pintard,  and  Walter 
Rutherford.  In  their  special  verdict  they  found  among  other 
things  that  the  plaintiff  and  the  majority  of  the  members  in 
communion  with  the  Dutch  Church  had  attended  at  the 
church  on  the  third  Thursday  in  October  1763  to  cast  their 
votes  for  church  officers  for  the  following  year,  and  that  the 
Consistojy  had  refused  to  receive  the  plaintiff's  vote  and  had 
proceeded  with  the  election  without  first  naming  to  the  mem- 
bers the  persons  nominated  for  office.  They  further  found 
that  according  to  the  rules  established  by  the  Synod  of  Dort, 


126 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


and  the  usage  of  the  churches  of  Holland,  which  had  always 
been  followed  in  New  York,  the  elders  and  deacons  and  min- 
isters present  elected  new  elders  and  deacons,  without  the 
voice  of  the  other  members  of  the  church,  and  that  the  plain- 
tiff himself  had  been  elected  three  times  in  accordance  with 
this  custom.  After  the  nomination  and  appointment  of  new 
church-officers  it  was  also  customary  for  the  minister  to  an- 
nounce their  names  from  the  pulpit  for  three  successive  Sun- 
days and  if  no  objection  were  then  made  to  them  they  re- 
mained in  office.  If  objection  were  made,  the  Consistory  took 
such  action  as  it  deemed  best.  The  special  verdict  ended 
with  the  statement :  "  If  the  Law  is  for  the  Plaintiff  we  find 
for  the  Plaintiff  and  five  pounds  ten  shillings  damages  ;  if  the 
Law  is  for  the  Defendents  we  find  for  the  Defendents."  The 
Law  was  for  the  defendants,  although  Mr.  Hardenbrook,  who 
represented  the  Dutch  party  in  the  church  in  opposition  to 
those  who  wished  to  call  a  minister  to  preach  in  the  English 
language,  employed  the  eminent  attorneys  James  Duane,  Ben- 
jamin Kissam,  and  John  T.  Kemp,  their  opponents  being 
William  Livingston  and  John  M.  Scott.  Judgment  was  given 
for  the  Consistory  on  the  1st  of  November  1766,  Judges 
Thomas  Jones,  William  Smith,  and  Robert  R.  Livingston 
agreeing,  and  Judge  Daniel  Hormansden  dissenting.  Troubles 
also  arose  in  the  Dutch  churches  between  those  who  desired 
to  retain  their  connection  with  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  and 
those  who  wished  the  American  branch  of  that  church  to  be 
entirely  independent  of  Holland.  One  of  the  former  who  had 
been  deposed  from  the  ministry  in  1786  for  immorality  and 
Toryism,  and  who,  with  some  consistency,  complained  because 
he  was  referred  to  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  for  redress,  pub- 
lished a  most  curious  pamphlet,  dated  June  9th  1789  and 
probably  printed  in  New  York  City.  It  is  entitled  "  A  true 
Description  of  the  Circumstances  of  the  Low  Dutch  Church, 
and  their  Ministers,  for  a  Notification  to  the  faithful  Members 
of  the  same,  who  will  stand  by  the  Truth  of  the  Holy  Bible. 
By  John  Casper  Ruble,  Verbi  Divini  Minister,  and  Corrector 
of  the  Low  Dutch  Churches  in  some  Parts  of  America."  Mr. 
Ruble  had  come  to  America  in  175 1  and  as  early  as  1755  had 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


127 


been  styled  "  the  rebellious  Ruble  "  and  requested  to  resign  a 
charge  in  Philadelphia.  During  the  Revolution  he  had  been 
a  violent  Tory,  denouncing  the  Americans  as  "  Satan's  sol- 
diers," and,  judging  by  the  contents  of  this  pamphlet,  the 
church  was  well  rid  of  him.  It  was  directed  against  many  of 
the  Low  Dutch  ministers  who,  according  to  the  author,  used 
"  a  strange  Title  of  the  Tryoun  God  :  When  they  say  in  their 
Prayers  and  Preachings,  in  Dutch,  Volsalige  God,  Volsalige 
JeJwva,  Volsalvige  Vader,  Son,  ende  Heilige  Geest.  That  is  in 
the  English  language,  Fulsaved  God,  Fulsaved  Jehovah,  etc." 
Mr.  Ruble  pronounced  this  title  to  be  so  blasphemous  "  that 
Ministers  may  commit  Thousands  of  Sins,  rather  than  one 
Time  to  say  in  the  Pulpit,  Fulsaved  God,  Fulsaved  Jehovah, 
Fulsaved  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."  He  also  inserted  a 
remark  which  probably  explains  a  large  part  of  his  own 
troubles,  thus:  "Hear  further,  courteous  Reader,  that  you 
here  find  the  Difference  between  the  Coetus  and  Conferentie 
Ministers : — The  Coetus  Ministers  have  made  Use  of  such  a 
Title,  but  the  Conferentie  Ministers  never.''  He  then  wrote 
thus  of  his  opponents  :  "  All  what  is  above  mentioned  is  the 
Truth  and  nothing  else  than  Truth,  and  from  some  Truth- 
loving  people  already  observed,  besides  this,  so  have  the  Min- 
isters, as  such  which  the  Pride  as  the  Picture  of  the  Duke  of 
Darkness  possesses,  so  it  was  with  their  false  blasphemous  title, 
that  not  alone  all  faithful  European  Ministers  (who  have  no 
Relation  through  the  Bond  of  Marriage  in  this  Country  with 
their  ministers)  and  the  Gospel  preached  according  to  God's 
Word,  seek  to  persecute,  and  without  any  Reason,  put  out  of 
their  Service,  and  the  same  again  to  supply  with  their  blas- 
phemous Ideots,  and  against  such  Actions  there  is  no  Redress 
to  be  found,  because  these  Ministers  are  with  that  Spirit, 
heads  and  Masters.  .  .  .  And  as  a  Conclusion  I  say,  have 
the  such  Ministers  as  I  have  above  described  me,  in  Anno  1784, 
posted  in  an  unjust  Manner,  in  the  Pulpit  in  the  Church  of 
Flatbush,  upon  the  Counsel  of  high  spirited,  unjust,  wicked 
and  unshameful  Deceivers  of  our  Church,  as  a  Novice,  which 
through  Pride  fall  into  the  Condemnation  of  the  Devil.  .  . 
.    And  how  much  I  wished  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 


128 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Christ  for  our  Salvation ;  so  I  say  hereby  freely,  that  I  want 
not  to  do  it  for  those  People  which  will  adhere  and  stay  by 
such  blasphemous  Ministers,  but  only  for  such  Christians  who 
firmly  stand  by  the  Holland  Reformed  Calvinist  Religion, 
and  after  the  Instruction  of  the  same  Desires  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  should  be  preached ;  then  I  shall  be  willing  to 
preach  for  such  Christians  in  a  Church,  House  or  Barn,  so  as 
it  may  be  convenient,  and  I  do  not  want  a  stipulated  salary 
from  Christians,  but  their  Benefits  shall  in  my  poverty  be 
enough,  and  I  shall  therewith  be  contented.  .  .  .  N.  B. 
To  understand  this  Writing  well,  the  cited  Scripture  Places 
must  be  revised  in  the  Bible.  Hereby  I  must  pray  all  friendly 
Readers  of  this  Writing,  that  they  will  excuse  me  in  zvriting 
such  bad  English,  because  I  am  an  European,  a  Dutchman,  of 
whom  you  with  me  believe  in  general,  that  they  never  can  learn 
the  English  Language,  just  so  as  the  English  pronounce  and 
write  it." 

A  somewhat  different  view  of  the  state  of  the  Dutch 
Church  is  to  be  found  in  a  letter,  dated  Yale  College,  Sept. 
13th  1788,  written  by  President  Ezra  Stiles  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Eilardus  Westerlo  of  Albany,  and  touching  upon  topics  which 
are  of  interest  at  the  present  time.  The  whole  of  this  letter 
is  as  follows : 

"  Revd.  and  Dr.  Sir, 

I  received  by  Mr.  Woodworth  your  kind  letter.  It  would 
have  given  me  pleasure  to  have  seen  you  at  one  of  our  humble 
Commencements  in  New  Engld.  I  am  sorry  Mr.  Basset's  Ill- 
ness would  not  spare  you, — but  indeed  the  stated  Ordinances, 
Institutions,  and  Services  of  the  Sanctuary  are  not  to  be  di- 
verted for  the  sake  of  Amusements.  I  truly  rejoyce  in  the 
Prosperity  of  the  Dutch  Chh.  in  America.  I  am  convinced 
it  is  best  for  the  Interest  of  Religion  that  she  should  not  co- 
alesce and  bury  herself  in  any  other  Chh.,  but  maintain  and 
preserve  herself  a  distinct  Body  and  Light  in  the  Chh.  uni- 
versal. I  often  tell  some  of  my  Brethren  who  are  innovat- 
ing in  the  Calvinistic  System  of  Divinity,  that  we  are  con- 
founding and  confusing  Religion  in  our  Chhs.    I  am  looking 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


129 


at  the  Belgic  Reformed  for  the  Conservation  of  the  pure 
Theology.  I  pray  Gd  bless  your  Synod  with  his  holy  pres- 
ence. I  shd  rejoyce  to  be  at  N.  York  at  the  Time  of  their 
Assembly  this  Fall.  I  hope  that  neither  Indifferentism,  nor 
Deism  nor  Socinianism  will  devour  the  Belgic  Chhs  in  Eu- 
rope and  America  as  they  have  too  much  done  with  respect 
to  the  Reformed  Chhs  in  Britain.  From  sundry  Productions 
in  the  Dutch  Universities,  lately  sent  me  by  Dr.  Erskine  of 
Edinburgh,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  find  the  Dutch  Divines 
come  forth  bold  Defenders  of  Revelation  and  the  pure  Doc- 
trines of  Revelation. 

May  the  Dutch  Chhs  in  America  subsist  as  a  distinct 
Body  :  may  the  4  United  Synods  of  the  Presbyterian  Chh 
subsist  as  a  distinct  Body :  may  the  Congreg'l  Chhs  also 
subsist  as  a  distinct  Body.  And  yet  after  all  let  us  not  make 
very  much  of  these  Distinctions  as  I  hope  we  are  all  Lovers 
of  the  one  Ld  Jesus  whose  Father  is  one  and  whose  Chh  is 
really  one,  altho'  in  different  Families.  A  federal  Union  may 
with  peculiar  Facility  subsist  among  us  of  these  3  Divisions 
of  Christians ;  but  it  must  be  a  Union  founded  in  and  indis- 
pensably involving  the  separate  Independency  of  these  3 
Bodies  of  Fellow  Xtians,  Fellow  Disciples  of  the  blessed 
Jesus.  Perhaps  I  write  too  freely.  It  is  the  benevolent 
Wish  of  my  Heart  that  we  may  all  be  united  and  harmoni- 
ous. And  when  one  part  goes  astray,  I  hope  the  other  will 
not, — and  they  may  be  mutual  Lights  to  one  anotfier  and  cor- 
rect one  another.    Wishing  you  every  Blessing,  I  am  Dr  Sir, 

Yr  affectionate  Brother, 

Ezra  Stiles. 

In  1789  the  Dutch  Church  was  probably  stronger  in  the 
number  of  its  attendants  than  any  other  denomination  in  the 
city,  although  it  was  constantly  weakened  by  the  departure 
of  its  younger  members  to  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  exo- 
dus has  continued  to  the  present  time.  The  first  Dutch 
church  edifice,  a  wooden  building,  had  been  erected  in  1633 
near  the  East  River  on  what  is  now  Broad  Street,  between 
Pearl  and  Bridge  Streets,  but,  this  being  too  small,  a  new 
9 


130 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


stone  building,  seventy-two  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide,  was 
erected  at  an  expense  of  twenty-five  hundred  guilders  in  1642 
within  Fort  Amsterdam  at  its  southeast  corner.  This  build- 
ing stood  until  1 741  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  in  1693 
the  Dutch  had  relinquished  it  to  the  British  Government  and 
had  begun  to  worship  in  a  church  on  Garden  Street  before  it 
was  entirely  finished.  In  1789  the  Garden  Street  Church 
was  the  oldest  church  edifice  in  the  city,  standing  on  the  north 
side  of  Verlittenberg  Street  (Exchange  Place)  about  half  way 
between  Broad  and  Smith  (William)  Streets.  It  was  erected 
at  an  expense  of  64178  guilders  or  $27671  on  a  lot  125  feet 
wide  by  180  feet  deep  and  is  described  as  an  oblong  building 
with  three  sides  of  an  octagon  on  its  east  side  and  having  in 
front  a  brick  steeple  on  a  square  foundation  with  a  consistory- 
room  in  it  over  the  entry.  There  were  three  entrances  and 
three  second-story  windows  in  the  front  of  the  building  and 
large  windows  on  the  sides  filled  with  small  panes  of  glass  set 
in  leaden  frames  most  of  which  contained  coats  of  arms.  The 
building,  which  was  repaired  in  1766,  was  used  by  the  British 
as  a  hospital  for  a  short  time  during  the  Revolution,  but  was 
reopened  on  the  7th  of  December  1783,  and  stood  until  1807 
when  a  new  building  was  erected  on  the  same  site.  In  18 13 
the  congregation  withdrew  from  the  Collegiate  Church,  but 
continued  to  worship  in  this  building  until  its  destruction  in 
the  great  fire  of  1835,  after  which  it  was  not  rebuilt,  the  con- 
gregation dividing  and  one  portion  of  it  being  now  repre- 
sented in  the  South  Reformed  Church  on  the  south-west  cor- 
ner of  5th  Avenue  and  21st  Street. 

By  the  year  1726  the  Dutch  congregation  became  too 
large  for  the  Garden  Street  Church  and  the  Consistory  bought 
a  plot  of  ground  for  £^7S  on  *ne  east  side  of  Nassau  Street 
running  from  what  in  1789  was  Crown  (Liberty)  to  Little 
Queen  (Cedar)  Street.  Upon  this  plot  was  erected  the 
Middle  Dutch  Church,  which  was  opened  for  worship  in  1729 
but  not  completely  finished  until  1 73 1.  Its  interior  was  re- 
modeled in  1764,  but  during  the  Revolution  the  British  com- 
pletely destroyed  it  by  using  it  as  a  hospital  and  a  riding- 
school,  and  in  1789  the  exterior  walls  were  about  all  that 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


131 


remained  of  the  old  building.  Owing  to  lack  of  funds  follow- 
ing the  Revolution,  repairs  were  not  begun  upon  it  until  1788 
and  it  was  not  re-opened  until  July  4th  1790.  This  building, 
100  feet  long  by  70  feet  wide  within  the  walls,  was  worshipped 
in  until  August  nth  1844,  soon  afterwards  being  occupied  by 
the  N.Y.  Post-Office  which  remained  in  it  until  1875.  In 
1882  it  was  demolished  for  the  erection  of  the  N.  Y.  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company's  Building. 

Until  the  year  1764  the  services  in  the  Dutch  Churches 
were  conducted  in  the  Dutch  language  but  in  that  year  the 
Rev.  Archibald  Laidlie,  minister  of  a  Scotch  Church  in  Flush- 
ing, Holland,  was  called  to  the  Dutch  Church  in  New  York 
to  preach  in  English  to  the  portion  of  the  congregation  who 
preferred  that  language.  For  the  benefit  of  these,  the  corner 
stone  of  the  North  Dutch  Church  was  laid  July  2nd  1767  and 
the  building  dedicated  May  25th  1769.  By  will  dated  Feb. 
7th  1723,  John  Harpendinck,  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Church, 
had  devised  to  it  his  interest  in  Shoemaker's  Pasture,  which 
was  approximately  bounded  by  the  present  Broadway,  Maiden 
Lane,  a  line  parallel  to  and  near  the  west  side  of  Gold  Street, 
and  on  the  north  by  Ann  Street.  The  North  Church  was 
erected  upon  a  portion  of  this  land  on  the  west  side  of  William 
Street  between  Ann  and  what  in  1789  was  Fair  (Fulton) 
Street.  This  building,  70  feet  wide  by  100  feet  long,  was 
constructed  of  uncut  stone,  with  a  tower,  the  pedestal  of  which 
was  square  and  surmounted  by  an  octagonal  belfry.  The 
main  entrance  was  on  William  Street,  there  also  being  side 
entrances  from  each  of  the  side  streets.  Its  cost  was  about 
£12000,  pillars  being  erected  in  the  interior  marked  with  the 
initials  of  those  who  presented  them,  with  a  sum  of  money  in 
addition.  The  British  used  this  building  during  the  Revolu- 
tion as  a  hospital  and  storehouse,  stripping  it  of  its  pews  and 
defacing  its  walls,  but  it  was  reopened  in  December  1784  and 
was  used  as  a  place  of  worship  until  1875,  when  its  site  was 
leased  and  it  demolished  in  the  summer  of  that  year. 

These  three  Dutch  churches  had  collegiate  ministers  and 
were  governed  by  one  Consistory  who  acted  under  a  charter 
from  William  III.,  dated  May  nth  1696,  which  was  confirmed 


132 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


by  Act  of  the  New  York  Legislature,  March  17th  1784,  with 
the  exception  of  a  clause  empowering  the  Consistory  by  and 
with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  members  in  communion 
to  make  rates  and  assessments  upon  all  members  for  the  pay- 
ment of  ministers'  salaries,  repairs  to  buildings,  etc.  Owing 
to  their  form  of  government  the  Dutch  churches  were  unable 
to  become  incorporated  under  the  general  act  of  April  6th  1784 
allowing  the  appointment  of  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than 
nine  trustees  for  each  church,  and  an  Act  was  therefore  passed 
on  the  7th  of  March  1788  allowing  the  Consistories  of  such 
churches  to  become  the  trustees.  The  new  members  of  the 
Consistory  of  the  Collegiate  Church  elected  October  15th  and 
ordained  November  1st  1789  were  : 

Elders. 

Evert  Bancker 
William  Gilbert 
William  Depevster 

Deacons. 

Frederick  Stymets.         Jacobus  Brown- 
Andrew  Hopper  William  J.  Elsworth. 
John  Brouwer  Ahasuerus  Turck. 

The  church-masters  were  Jacob  J.  Lansing  and  Thomas 
Lafoy.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1789  there  were  but  two 
ministers  of  the  Collegiate  Church,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Henry 
Livingston  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Linn,  two  of  the  col- 
leagues who  were  still  living,  Dominies  Ritzema  and  De 
Ronde,  not  having  returned  to  the  city  after  the  Revolution, 
and  Dr.  Laidlie  having  died  in  1778.  Dr.  Livingston  was  now 
in  the  43rd  year  of  his  age,  having  been  born  in  Poughkeepsie, 
N.  Y.  May  30th  1746.  His  education  had  been  begun  at  the 
age  of  seven  under  the  Rev.  Chauncey  Graham  at  Fishkill, 
and  a  few  years  later  he  had  been  placed  under  the  tutorship 
of  Mr.  Moss  Kent,  father  of  Chancellor  Kent.  After  gradua- 
tion at  Yale  College  in  1762  he  had  studied  law  for  a  few 
years  and  had  then  gone  to  Utrecht  to  study  theology.  Here 
he  received  the  degree  of  D.D.,  and  after  ordination  at  Ams- 
terdam, accepted  a  call  to  the  Collegiate  Church,  arriving 


Garret  Abeel 
Garret  Harsin 
Coenrad  W.  Ham. 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


133 


in  New  York  in  September  1770.  In  1775  he  married  the 
daughter  of  Philip  Livingston,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, and  during  the  British  occupation  retired  from 
the  city.  Upon  the  declaration  of  peace  he  had  been  the  only 
Collegiate  minister  who  returned  to  the  city,  and  in  1784  he 
had  been  appointed  Professor  of  Theology  for  the  Dutch 
Church,  delivering  his  Latin  Inaugural  Oration  before  the 
Synods  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  on  the  19th  of  May 
1785.  He  resigned  his  pastorate  in  18 10  to  take  charge  of 
this  Professorship,  which  was  then  fully  established,  and  he 
was  at  the  same  time  appointed  President  of  Rutgers  College, 
which  duties  he  performed  until  his  death  at  New  Brunswick, 
N.  J.  on  the  20th  of  January  1825.  He  is  described  as  tall, 
well-built,  and  commanding  in  appearance,  with  regular  feat- 
ures, and  an  agreeable  expression.  In  private  life  he  was  ex- 
tremely dignified,  courteous,  and  a  polished  gentleman.  In 
the  pulpit  his  fine  personal  appearance,  deep  voice,  and  im- 
pressive wig,  were  of  great  advantage  to  him,  his  sermons  be- 
ing read  from  copious  notes  and  accompanied  by  somewhat 
eccentric  gestures.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No.  79  Broadway. 
His  colleague  Dr.  William  Linn,  was  born  near  Shippensburg, 
Pa.,  February  7th  1752.  He  was  graduated  from  Princeton 
College  in  1772  and  in  April  1775  was  licensed  to  preach  as  a 
Presbyterian  minister,  being  ordained  in  the  following  year, 
and  made  chaplain  of  the  5th  and  6th  battalions  of  Pennsyl- 
vania troops.  Family  affairs  preventing  him  from  accompany- 
ing these  troops  to  Canada,  he  resigned  this  post  and  acted  as 
pastor  of  a  church  in  Big  Spring,  Pa.  for  six  years.  Thence 
he  removed  in  1784  to  become  President  of  Washington 
Academy  in  Somerset  Co.  Maryland,  but  in  June  1786  re- 
sumed his  ministerial  labors  in  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  whence 
he  was  called  in  a  few  months  to  the  Collegiate  Church,  be- 
ing installed  in  his  new  pastorate  November  12th  1786.  On 
the  1st  of  May  1789  he  was  chosen  chaplain  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  a  salary  of  $500,  receiving  twenty-seven 
votes  to  nineteen  votes  cast  for  Dr.  John  Rodgers,  and  of- 
ficiated for  the  first  time  on  the  5th  of  May.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  reappointed.  He  was  a  Regent  of  the  State  Uni- 


134 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


versity  from  1787  to  1808,  received  the  degree  of  S.T.D. 
from  Columbia  College  in  1789,  and  acted  as  temporary  Presi- 
dent of  Queen's  (Rutgers)  College  for  several  years  after  1791. 
He  remained  with  the  Collegiate  Church  until  1805  when 
failing  health  compelled  his  retirement  to  Albany  where  he 
died  on  the  8th  of  January  1808,  having  been  elected  Presi- 
dent of  Union  College  just  before  his  death.  The  preaching 
of  the  ministers  who  were  in  New  York  in  1789  is  generally 
described  as  "  pious  and  earnest."  Dr.  Linn  was  pious,  ear- 
nest, and  eloquent.  It  is  said  that  his  trumpet-like  voice 
could  be  heard  for  a  mile,  and  he  has  been  without  doubt 
justly  described  as  the  most  eloquent  preacher  of  his  time  in 
New  York  and  one  of  the  best  in  the  United  States.  The 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  as  a  preacher  is  well  shown  by  a 
card  in  the  Daily  Advertiser  of  October  30th  1789  written  by 
"  A  Stranger  "  who  had  heard  a  charity  sermon  preached  by 
him.  After  stating  that  he  was  entirely  unacquainted  with 
Dr.  Linn,  he  writes:  "Would  ministers  always  preach  thus,  I 
would  venture  to  say  that  it  would  soon  become  more  fash- 
ionable to  go  to  church  and  perform  Christian  duties  in  gen- 
eral." Dr.  Linn's  ardent  patriotism  and  oratorical  powers  also 
brought  him  into  prominence  upon  patriotic  celebrations,  one 
of  his  discourses,  on  the  Blessings  of  America,  being  delivered 
before  the  Tammany  Society  on  the  4th  of  July  1 791,  and  an- 
other in  eulogy  of  General  Washington,  before  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati  on  the  22nd  of  February  1800.  His  imagina- 
tive powers  and  command  of  language  were  great,  and  his  ser- 
mons, which  he  committed  to  memory,  were  delivered  natur- 
ally and  gracefully,  although  he  is  said  to  have  been  at  times 
over-vehement  in  gesture.  In  1789  Dr.  Linn's  residence  was 
No.  66  Cortlandt  Street,  his  salary  being  £400  a  year  and  a 
house  rent  free.  There  were  still  in  the  Collegiate  Church  at 
this  time  a  sufficient  number  of  those  who  preferred  preaching 
in  the  Dutch  language  to  render  it  desirable  to  have  some  of 
the  services  in  that  tongue,  and,  although  Dr.  Livingston  occa- 
sionally preached  in  Dutch  to  this  portion  of  the  congregation, 
it  was  decided  to  call  a  minister  especially  for  that  purpose. 
Accordingly  in  the  latter  part  of  1789  a  call  was  extended 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


135 


to  and  accepted  by  Rev.  Gerard  us  Arense  Kuypers,  a  young 
man  who  had  been  settled  in  a  church  at  Paramus,  N.  J.,  since 
June  1788.  Mr.  Kuypers  was  born  in  December  1766  on  the 
Island  of  Curasao,  but  at  the  age  of  two  years  had  been  brought 
to  America  and  had  received  his  theological  education  from  his 
father  who  was  a  minister  in  Hackensack,  N.  J.  His  services 
in  the  Collegiate  Church  were  confined  to  preaching  in  Dutch 
in  the  Garden  Street  church  until  1803  when  he  preached  the 
last  sermon  in  that  language  to  a  very  small  congregation.  He 
then  preached  in  English  until  his  death  on  the  28th  of  June 
1833.  In  1791  he  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  from  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey  and  in  18 10  that  of  D.D.  from  Rutgers 
College.  He  is  described  as  a  man  of  medium  height,  com- 
pactly built,  and  of  remarkable  agility.  He  was  retiring  in 
disposition,  courteous  and  affable  in  manner,  not  learned,  and 
exceedingly  conservative  in  doctrine  and  usages.  As  a  preacher 
he  was  more  successful  in  the  Dutch  than  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. 

Connected  with  the  Collegiate  Church  there  was  also  a 
school,  supported  by  charitable  contributions,  which  is  said  to 
have  had  its  beginning  in  1633.  After  suspension  by  the  war 
this  school  was  re-opened  in  the  latter  part  of  1783  under  the 
mastership  of  Peter  Van  Steenburgh,  who  held  that  position 
from  1773  until  May  1st  1 791.  The  schoolhouse  was  a  build- 
ing opposite  the  Garden  Street  church,  erected  in  1748  and 
rebuilt  in  1773,  in  which  the  schoolmaster  lived,  and  on  the 
second  floor  of  which  the  Consistory  held  its  meetings.  In 
1789  Mr.  Van  Steenburgh  entered  upon  an  agreement  by 
which  he  was  to  receive  from  the  Consistory  ^35  a  year  for 
giving  elementary  instruction  to  thirty  scholars.  The  school 
was  visited  monthly  by  the  deacons  and  quarterly  by  the 
whole  Consistory,  the  children  being  clothed  and  taught  from 
funds  raised  chiefly  by  collections  in  the  churches.  On  the 
1 2th  of  December  1789  it  was  announced  in  the  N.  Y.  Packet 
that  a  charity-sermon  for  the  benefit  of  this  school  would  be 
preached  on  the  following  day  in  Dutch  in  the  Garden  Street 
Church,  and  on  the  next  Sabbath  in  English  in  the  North 
Church.    The  school  is  still  in  existence. 


136 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


The  Protestant  Episcopal  churches  in  1789  were  three  in 
number,  Trinity,  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  and  St.  George's  Chapel. 
The  first  Trinity  Church  building  had  been  erected  in  1696, 
opened  for  worship  in  January  1697,  and  enlarged  in  1737, 
but  was  not  in  existence  in  1789  having  been  destroyed  in 
the  fire  of  1776,  together  with  its  two  charity  school  buildings, 
library,  and  rector's  house  at  an  estimated  loss  of  ^"22200. 
The  fire  destroyed  all  but  a  portion  of  the  walls,  and  rebuild- 
ing was  not  begun  until  1788,  when  Robert  Watts,  Moses 
Rogers,  Nicholas  Cruger,  Nicholas  Carmer,  and  George  Dom- 
inick,  commissioners  for  rebuilding,  advertised  on  the  18th  of 
June  for  proposals  for  taking  down  the  walls.  On  the  8th  of 
July  they  asked  for  proposals  for  laying  new  foundations  and 
on  the  7th  of  August  they  were  ready  to  receive  proposals  for 
carpenter  work.  The  masonwork  of  the  new  building  was 
done  by  Messrs.  Moore  and  Smith  and  the  carpenter  work  by 
James  Robinson.  The  work  of  the  committee,  however,  does 
not  seem  to  have  satisfied  everybody  as  in  the  Daily  Adver- 
tiser of  March  12th  1789  there  appeared  a  card  bitterly  attack- 
ing one  of  the  committee  for  acts  alleged  to  have  been  done 
through  jealousy  at  not  receiving  the  contract  for  rebuilding. 
This  attack  by  "  A  Churchman,''  however,  received  a  reply 
from  "  Hod  Carrier "  which  apparently  disposed  of  it,  as 
nothing  further  upon  the  subject  appeared  in  the  newspaper. 
The  corner  stone  of  the  building  was  laid  by  Bishop  Provoost 
on  the  2 1st  of  August  1788  and  the  fact  that  the  inscription 
on  this  stone  mentioned  the  "  Bishop  of  New  York  "  brought 
about  a  fierce  newspaper  controversy  between  the  Presbyte- 
rians and  Episcopalians  which  was  begun  by  a  Presbyterian  at- 
tack in  the  N.  Y.  Packet  of  November  25th  1788.  The  Pres- 
byterian in  a  subsequent  article  having  complained  that  his 
opponent  had  omitted  the  Dutch  Church  from  the  number  of 
Presbyterians,  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Church  residing  on 
Smith  Street  informed  him  on  the  27th  of  January  1789  that 
the  Dutch  needed  none  of  his  championship,  knew  their  an- 
cient friends,  and  had  no  desire  to  take  part  in  the  quarrel. 
There  was  no  stouter  opponent  of  the  claims  of  episcopacy, 
however,  than  Dr.  Linn  of  the  Dutch  Church.    The  property 


CJmrcJies  and  Clergy. 


137 


of  Trinity  Church  in  1789  although  extensive  was  not  very 
remunerative  and  the  sale  of  lots  to  obtain  ready  money  was 
frequent  for  many  years.  In  May  1789  the  corporation  ad- 
vertised that  it  would  sell  forty-six  lots,  nineteen  of  which 
were  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  fronting  on  Greenwich  Street, 
and  the  other  twenty-seven  on  Division  Street  and  the  streets 
to  the  north  and  east  of  St.  Paul's  Church.  It  also  announced 
its  determination  to  enforce  the  payment  of  back  rents  and 
stated  that  its  collector  had  been  ordered  to  re-enter  upon  all 
lots  two  years  in  arrears  for  rent,  and  on  July  1st  to  re-enter 
upon  those  three  months  in  arrears.  In  February  1789  ad- 
vertisements appeared  for  stone  for  the  new  building,  to  be 
delivered  in  the  Spring,  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  its  erec- 
tion was  probably  well-advanced  as  on  the  19th  of  November, 
the  editor  of  the  N.  Y.  Journal  stated  that  no  improvement 
deserved  greater  approbation  than  the  new  church  on  Broad- 
way, the  spire  of  which,  with  good  conductors,  would  be  a 
great  preservative  against  lightning  for  all  the  buildings  within 
several  hundred  paces  of  it,  and  especially  to  the  Federal 
Building.  The  editor  might  well  have  mentioned  other  rea- 
sons for  approbation  of  the  erection  of  the  church,  but  this 
was  certainly  a  very  good  reason  as  lightning  played  its 
pranks  very  freely  in  the  city,  visiting  the  just  and  the  unjust 
without  discrimination.  One  Wednesday  evening  in  June 
1788  it  shattered  the  house  and  smashed  the  crockery  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Mason  at  No.  63  Cortlandt  Street,  and  on  the  10th 
of  June  1789  it  set  fire  to  the  curtains  in  the  house  of  John 
Henry,  the  actor,  at  No.  5  Fair  (Fulton)  Street.  The  new 
Trinity  Church,  104  feet  long  by  72  feet  wide,  with  a  steeple 
200  feet  in  height,  was  consecrated  March  25th  1790,  and 
stood  until  1839  when  it  Avas  taken  down  to  be  replaced  by 
the  present  edifice  which  was  consecrated  May  21st  1846. 

In  1748  the  congregation  of  Trinity  Church  had  become  so 
large  that  it  had  been  decided  to  erect  a  Chapel  of  Ease  and 
six  lots  were  accordingly  bought  for  £645  by  inhabitants  of 
Montgomery  Ward  and  presented  to  the  church  as  a  site  for 
the  new  chapel.  Upon  these  St.  George's  Chapel  was  built 
and  opened  July  1st  1752.    This  building,  92  feet  long,  ex- 


138  New  York  City  in  1789. 

elusive  of  the  chancel,  and  72  feet  wide,  stood  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Beekman  and  Cliff  Streets  until  its  destruction 
by  fire  on  the  morning  of  January  5th  18 14.  It  was  faced 
with  hewn  stone,  had  a  steeple  175  feet  in  height  containing  a 
large  bell,  and  was  originally  roofed  with  tiles,  which,  being 
found  to  be  too  heavy  for  the  walls,  were  replaced  by  shingles. 
After  its  destruction  in  18 14  it  was  immediately  rebuilt,  and 
the  new  building  was  occupied  until  1841,  when  it  was  de- 
molished and  its  congregation  removed  to  the  present  church 
in  Rutherford  Place  near  Stuyvesant  Square.  It  became  in- 
dependent of  Trinity  Church  in  181 1. 

The  building  of  St.  Paul's  Chapel  was  begun  in  1763  for 
the  same  reason  that  caused  the  erection  of  St.  George's,  and 
it  was  opened  October  30th  1766.  Its  steeple  was  added  in 
1794,  but  with  that  exception  the  external  appearance  of  the 
building  in  1789  was  probably  the  same  as  at  the  present  time. 
It  is  now  the  oldest  church  edifice  in  the  city  and  is  the  oldest 
building  with  the  exception  of  the  tavern  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Broad  and  Pearl  Streets.  In  1784  the  congregation 
seem  to  have  been  afflicted  with  a  failing  of  which  complaint 
has  been  made  in  the  case  of  others  within  less  than  a  hun- 
dred years.  On  the  15th  of  July  in  that  year  the  following 
appeared  in  the  N.  Y.  Packet  :  "  A  Foreigner  presents  his 
most  respectful  compliments  to  the  congregation  of  St.  Paul's, 
and  begs  leave  to  observe  to  them  that  he  must  think  that 
they  are  devoid  of  any  manner  of  humanity  or  common  po- 
liteness, when  they  can  see  genteel  strangers  come  into  their 
Church,  and  not  endeavor  to  procure  them  a  seat,  but  sit  with 
a  mortifying  indifference  upon  their  countenance.  From  his 
knowledge  of  the  Continent  he  is  persuaded  such  unfriendly 
inattention  cannot  proceed  from  influence  of  climate,  as  their 
neighboring  city  is  possessed  of  good  breeding  and  politeness." 
During  his  residence  in  New  York  in  1789  and  1790  Washing- 
ton attended  service  at  St.  Paul's  regularly,  a  pew  covered 
with  a  canopy  being  set  apart  for  his  use  ;  and  on  the  3rd  of 
November  1789  the  State  Convention  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
was  opened  in  this  church  and  closed  its  meeting  harmonious- 
ly on  the  $th  of  that  month. 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


139 


In  1789  the  Protestant  Episcopal  clergymen  of  the  city 
were  the  Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  Provoost,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  New 
York  and  Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  and  the  two  assistant 
ministers  of  Trinity  Church  the  Rev.  Dr.  Benjamin  Moore 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Abraham  Beach.  Bishop  Samuel  Provoost 
was  born  in  N.  Y.  City,  February  26th  1742  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Kings  (Columbia)  College  in  its  first  class  in  1758. 
After  studying  theology  at  St.  Peter's  College,  Cambridge,  he 
became  an  assistant  minister  of  Trinity  Church  in  Dec.  1766 
but  dissolved  that  connection  in  1769  and  lived  on  a  farm  in 
Dutchess  county  until  1784.  During  the  Revolution  his 
sympathies  were  entirely  American  and  when  at  the  close  of 
the  war  the  Whig  members  of  Trinity  Church  succeeded  in 
overthrowing  in  the  courts  the  election  of  a  rector  made  by 
the  Tories  before  the  peace,  he  was  unanimously  chosen  rector 
and  inducted  into  that  office  April  22nd  1784.  In  1785  he 
was  chaplain  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  on  the  13th  of 
lune  1786  was  elected  Bishop  of  New  York,  receiving  con- 
secration from  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  on  the  4th  of 
February  1787  and  returning  to  New  York  on  the  8th  of 
April  in  that  year.  In  May  1789  he  was  chosen  chaplain  of 
the  U.  S.  Senate  and  was  reappointed  in  the  following  year. 
He  resigned  the  rectorship  of  Trinity  Church,  September  8th 
1800,  and  his  office  as  Bishop  on  the  3rd  of  September  1801, 
the  latter  resignation  not  being  accepted  and  an  assistant 
bishop  being  appointed.  His  sudden  death  of  apoplexy  oc- 
curred September  6th  181 5.  In  person,  Bishop  Provoost  is 
described  as  a  man  with  a  round,  full  face,  rather  above  me- 
dium height,  portly,  and  very  dignified  in  manner.  He  had 
a  good  voice  and  made  a  fine  appearance  in  the  pulpit,  but,  as 
a  preacher,  lacked  animation,  and  although  a  fine  classical 
scholar,  linguist,  and  botanist,  he  was  not  distinguished  for 
intellectual  ability.  He  was  noted  for  his  public  spirit,  hos- 
pitality, and  liberality  to  the  poor  which  was  thought  to  be 
greater  than  was  warranted  by  his  income.  As  Rector  of 
Trinity  Church  he  received  a  salary  of  £700  a  year  and  a 
house  rent-free,  the  latter  in  1789  being  No  2  Nassau  Street. 

Rev.  Abraham  Beach,  D.D.,  born  in  Cheshire,  Conn.,  Sep- 


140 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


tember  9th  1740,  was  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  from 
Yale  College  in  1757,  and  was  ordained  deacon  and  priest  in 
England  in  1767.  He  served  as  a  missionary  in  New  Jersey 
from  1767  until  the  churches  under  his  care  at  Piscataqua  and 
New  Brunswick  were  closed  in  1776,  and  was  a  Tory  during 
the  Revolution.  In  1783  a  church  at  Amboy  was  added  to 
his  charge  and  on  the  8th  of  June  1784  he  was  appointed  one 
of  three  assistant  ministers  of  Trinity  Church  at  a  salary  of 
^"500.  He  was  a  Regent  of  the  State  University,  a  trustee  of 
Queen's  (Rutgers)  College,  masonic  Grand  Chaplain,  a  trustee 
of  Columbia  College,  from  which  he  received  the  degree  of 
D.D.  in  1789,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Society  for  the 
relief  of  Distressed  Debtors  in  January  1787.  He  became 
assistant  rector  of  Trinity  Church  upon  the  retirement  of  Dr. 
Moore  from  active  service  in  181 1,  but  resigned  his  office  in 
March  181 3  and  lived  in  retirement  on  a  farm  near  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  until  his  death  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember 1828.  He  is  said  to  have  been  dignified  in  person, 
genial  in  conversation,  exceedingly  industrious  in  his  parochial 
duties,  and  practical  in  his  sermons.  His  residence  in  1789 
was  No.  46  William  Street. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  D.D.  was  a  native  of  Newtown, 
Long  Island,  born  on  the  5th  of  October  1748.  After  gradua- 
tion from  King's  (Columbia)  College  in  1768  he  was  ordained 
deacon  and  priest  in  England  in  1774  and  soon  afterwards  be- 
came an  assistant  minister  of  Trinity  Church.  In  1775  he 
acted  as  President  of  King's  College  during  the  enforced 
absence  of  the  Rev.  Myles  Cooper  and  in  November  1783  was 
chosen  Rector  of  Trinity  Church  by  its  Tory  members  before 
the  return  of  the  Whigs.  In  the  Spring  of  1784116  was  ousted 
from  that  office  on  the  ground  that  the  election  was  void,  but 
on  the  8th  of  June  1784  was  appointed  assistant  minister,  with 
Mr.  Beach  and  Mr.  Ogden,  at  a  salary  of  ^"500,  two  hundred 
of  which  was  to  be  raised  by  private  contribution.  He  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Columbia  College  in  1789 
and  was,  in  that  year,  Secretary  of  the  Corporation  for  the  re- 
lief of  the  Widows  and  Children  of  the  Clergymen  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America, 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


141 


a  corporation  which  in  1769  had  obtained  charters  from  New 
York,  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.  By  Act  of  February 
19th  1787  the  New  York  legislature  confirmed  this  charter, 
changing  the  title  of  the  society  from  the  words  "  Clergymen 
in  the  communion  of  the  Church  of  England  in  America,"  re- 
pealing some  English  clauses  in  it,  and  requiring  that  the 
accounts  and  proceedings  of  the  Society  should  be  ratified  by 
the  Governor,  Chancellor,  Chief-Justice,  or  any  two  of  them. 
The  society  apparently  held  no  meetings  from  1771  until  1784, 
and,  after  the  Revolution,  newspaper  notices  of  its  proceedings 
which  styled  it  the  "  Society  for  the  relief  etc.  of  the  Clergy  " 
without  further  description,  excited  great  Presbyterian  wrath. 
Dr.  Moore  succeeded  Bishop  Provoost  as  Rector  on  the  22nd 
of  December  1800,  and  as  Bishop  on  the  nth  of  September 
1801,  and  in  the  latter  year  also  became  President  of  Columbia 
College,  holding  that  office  until  incapacitated  by  paralysis  in 
181 1,  repeated  attacks  of  that  nature  causing  his  death  at  Green- 
wich Village  on  the  27th  of  February  18 16.  He  is  described 
as  of  slender  figure  and  medium  height,  graceful  and  gentle 
in  manner,  and  exceedingly  modest  and  unostentatious.  In 
private  life  his  popularity  was  great,  but  his  powers  as  a 
preacher  were  moderate,  simplicity  being  the  most  marked 
feature  of  his  sermons.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No  46  Broad- 
way. 

The  Corporation  of  Trinity  Church  acted  under  a  charter 
granted  in  1697  which  was  confirmed  by  the  New  York  legis- 
lature by  Act  of  April  17th  1784  rendering  it  conformable  to 
the  laws  of  New  York.  In  1789  the  church  officers,  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Berrian's  History,  were 


Wardens. 


John  Jay. 


James  Duane. 


Vestrymen. 


James  Farquhar 
Thomas  Randall 


William  Laight 
Richard  Harrison 
Nicholas  Kortright 
Matthew  M.  Clarkson 
William  Samuel  Johnson 
John  Jones 


Anthony  L.  Bleeker 
Andrew  Hamersley 
Hubert  Van  Wagenen 
Nicholas  Carmer 


142 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


John  Lewis  Charles  Startin 

Alexander  Ogsbury  George  Warner 

Moses  Rogers  Alexander  Hamersley. 

George  Dominick. 

George  Warner  and  Alexander  Hamersley  became  Vestry- 
men, and  Robert  C.  Livingston,  Daniel  Dunscomb,  James 
Giles,  and  William  Bush,  retired  from  that  office  in  that  year. 

A  Charity  School  had  been  founded  in  1709  which  for  a 
time  was  under  the  joint  care  of  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  and  of  Trinity  Church, 
the  schoolmaster  receiving  a  portion  of  his  salary  from  each. 
In  1748  a  school-building  had  been  erected  on  the  south  side 
of  Rector  Street  in  the  rear  of  the  old  Lutheran  Church, 
which  had  soon  been  burned,  but  rebuilt,  and  again  destroyed 
in  the  fire  of  1776.  In  1789  the  school,  which  consisted  of  56 
boys  and  30  girls,  was  under  the  instruction  of  John  Winter, 
clerk  of  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  at  No.  29  John  Street  opposite  the 
theatre.  John  Wood,  clerk  of  Trinity  Church,  also  advertised 
an  evening  school  at  the  same  place  in  which  arithmetic  was 
to  be  taught  according  to  "  Pike's  excellent  American  system/' 
and  in  1785  he  had  announced  that  he  would  teach  writing  in 
six  weeks  provided  that  the  pupils  had  never  tried  to  write 
before.  The  Charity  School  was  supported  principally  by 
voluntary  contributions  and  one  sermon  in  its  behalf  by  Bishop 
Provoost  at  St.  George's  on  the  15th  of  November  1789  was 
followed  by  a  contribution  of  £62  7s.  iod.  and  another, 
preached  by  Dr.  Moore  at  St.  Paul's  on  the  22nd  of  Novem- 
ber collected  £81  8s.  iod. 

The  French  Huguenots  were  the  third  congregation  to 
erect  a  church  in  the  city  after  worshipping  for  some  time  in 
the  Dutch  church  in  the  Fort.  Their  first  building,  which 
was  opened  in  1688,  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  what  is 
now  Market  Street  about  half  way  between  Whitehall  and 
Broad  Streets,  the  lot  being  twenty-eight  feet  wide  by  fifty 
feet  deep.  This  building  was  used  for  about  sixteen  years 
when  a  new  one  was  erected  on  the  north  side  of  King  (Pine) 
Street  near  the  east  corner  of  Nassau  Street,  its  corner  stone 
being  laid  July  8th  1704.    It  was  seventy  feet  long  by  fifty 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


143 


feet  wide,  constructed  of  stone  covered  with  plaster,  and  at 
the  rear  had  a  low  stone  tower  surmounted  by  a  cupola  and 
bell.  Its  burying  ground  extended  back  to  Little  Queen 
(Cedar)  Street.  In  1776  the  building  was  closed  and  its  oc- 
cupation by  the  British  as  a  storehouse  rendered  necessary  an 
almost  entire  rebuilding,  which  was  not  begun  until  1796,  the 
building  remaining  unused  for  nearly  twenty  years.  Until 
1803  the  doctrine  and  ceremonies  of  this  church  were  in  ac- 
cordance with  those  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  France,  but 
in  that  year,  partly  in  order  to  obtain  a  legacy  of  £1000  left 
by  Elias  Desbrosses  in  1773  in  trust  to  Trinity  Church  for  the 
support  of  a  French  minister  who  should  perform  divine  ser- 
vice according  to  the  liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England,  the 
congregation  decided  to  join  the  Protestant  Episcopal  body. 
The  cupola  on  the  tower  had  been  removed  and  replaced  by 
a  board  roof  and  after  further  alterations  and  repairs  the  build- 
ing was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Moore  on  the  30th  of  May 
1803  and  was  used  until  1832  when  the  congregation  removed 
to  a  new  one  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Franklin  and  Church 
Streets.  This,  in  turn,  was  abandoned  in  1863  for  the  present 
church  on  the  south  side  of  22nd  Street  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth  Avenues. 

The  first  Friends  Meeting  House  in  the  city  was  a  small 
wooden  building  on  the  North  side  of  Crown  (Liberty)  Street 
about  half-way  between  Broadway  and  what  is  now  called 
Liberty  Place,  built  about  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century 
and  perhaps  before  the  first  Lutheran  church.  During  the  Revo- 
lution it  was  used  by  the  British  as  a  hospital,  but  was  re- 
opened after  the  war  and  used  until  1794  when  it  was  demol- 
ished and  a  new  one  erected  on  nearly  the  same  site  ;  which, 
in  turn,  was  replaced  in  1802  by  a  brick  building  in  which  the 
Friends  worshipped  until  its  sale  to  Grant  Thorburn  in  1826. 
This  building  was  then  used  for  business  purposes  until  its 
demolition  about  the  year  1836.  In  1789  there  was  also  an- 
other "  New  Quaker  Meeting"  which  had  been  built  of  brick 
in  1775  on  the  east  side  of  Queen  (Pearl)  Street  near  the 
south  corner  of  Rutgers  (Oak)  Street,  and  was  worshipped  in 
until  1824  when  the  congregation  removed  to  a  house  on  the 


144 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


northwest  side  of  Rose  Street  near  Pearl  Street  which  was 
used  for  worship  until  the  year  1857. 

The  Lutherans  built  their  first  church  in  the  city  in  1702 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  what  is  now  Rector  Street  and 
Broadway,  but  the  building  was  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  1776 
and  never  rebuilt,  its  site  being  known  for  many  years  as  the 
"  Burnt  Lutheran  Church."  In  1 761  another  small  Lutheran 
church  had  been  built  in  Skinner  (Cliff)  Street  but  in  1767 
the  congregation  removed  to  another  building  which,  in  1789, 
stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of  King  George  (William)  and 
Frankfort  Streets.  It  was  a  low  stone  building,  known  as 
the  Swamp  Church,  without  a  steeple,  having  an  entrance  on 
King  George  Street  with  a  large  window  on  each  side  of  it 
and  one  over  it,  while  on  Frankfort  Street  light  was  admitted 
through  four  large  windows  and  a  small  one.  During  the 
British  occupation  of  the  city  in  the  Revolution  the  Hessians 
worshipped  in  it  and  the  Lutheran  congregation  occupied  it 
until  1 83 1  when  it  was  sold  to  the  African  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  latter  occupied  it  until  1848  when  it  was  sold 
for  business  purposes  and  so  used  until  its  demolition  in  De- 
cember 1850.  In  1784  the  remnant  of  the  Rector  Street 
congregation  had  joined  this  church  and  on  Monday,  August 
2nd  of  that  year,  the  N.  Y.  Packet  announced  that  on  "  Thurs- 
day evening  arrived  in  this  city  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Christo- 
pher Kunze,  late  senior  minister  of  the  Lutheran  Churches  in 
Philadelphia  and  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages  in  the  Uni- 
versity, who  is  appointed  the  Lutheran  Minister  of  the  Trinity 
and  Christ  Churches  in  this  city."  Dr.  Kunze  was  born  in 
Arter,  Saxony,  on  the  5th  of  August  1744  and,  after  receiving 
his  education  in  Germany,  had  first  arrived  in  New  York  on 
the  22nd  of  September  1770.  He  then  became  pastor  in 
Philadelphia  and  in  1780  was  appointed  Professor  of  Oriental 
Languages  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he 
received  the  degree  of  D.D.  in  1784.  Immediately  after  his 
arrival  in  New  York  in  1784  he  was  appointed  to  a  similar 
professorship  in  Columbia  College,  holding  it  for  three  years 
and  again  occupying  it  from  1792  to  1795.  In  1789  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  German  Society.    He  remained  pastor 


CJnircJies  and  Clergy. 


145 


of  the  Swamp  Church  until  his  death,  July  24th  1807,  his 
residence  in  1789  being  No.  24  Chatham  Street.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  a  man  of  medium  height,  stout,  slow,  and  rough 
in  manner.  He  was  learned  in  patristic  theology,  and  much 
interested  in  astronomy  and  numismatics.  In  Hebrew  he 
had  no  contemporary  superior,  and  he  was  on  terms  of  inti- 
mate friendship  with  Rabbi  Seixas  of  the  Mill  Street  syna- 
gogue. His  sermons  were  learned,  never  less  than  an  hour 
long,  and  delivered  with  a  weak  voice.  The  preaching  in  the 
Lutheran  Church  was  in  German  and  in  that  language  Dr. 
Kunze  was  a  fluent  speaker,  but  his  attempts  to  preach  in 
English  ended  with  a  sermon  from  the  text  "  God  is  not  will- 
ing  that  any  should  perish."  Some  irreverent  young  men 
having  reported  that  upon  this  occasion  Dr.  Kunze  had  said 
"  Gott  is  not  a  villain,"  he  thereafter  confined  himself  to  his 
native  tongue.  In  1795  he  also  prepared  a  collection  of  hymns 
translated  from  the  German  which  are  said  to  have  been 
"  most  curious  specimens  of  couplets  and  triplets."  There 
was  a  school  connected  with  the  Swamp  Church  which  in 
1789  was  taught  by  Henry  Leightanslen. 

The  first  Jewish  Synagogue  in  the  city  was  erected  about 
the  year  1700  on  the  north  side  of  Mill  Street.  This  first 
building,  however,  was  replaced  in  1730  by  a  new  stone  build- 
ing thirty-six  feet  wide  by  fifty-eight  feet  long,  erected  on  the 
same  site,  which  was  used  until  1833  when  the  Congregation 
Shearith  Israel  removed  to  a  building  in  Crosby  Street  near 
Spring  Street.  It  again  removed  thence,  about  the  year  i860, 
to  the  present  synagogue  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Nine- 
teenth Street  and  Fifth  Avenue.  In  1789  the  Rabbi  of  this 
congregation  was  the  Rev.  Gershom  Seixas,  of  Portuguese 
descent,  born  in  New  York  City  in  1745.  Having  succeeded 
Rabbi  Pinto  in  1766  he  held  the  office  for  fifty  years  and  en- 
joyed the  friendship  and  respect  of  ministers  of  all  denomina- 
tions until  his  death,  after  a  lingering  illness,  on  the  morning 
of  July  2nd  18 16,  his  wife,  Mrs.  Elkalah  Seixas,  having  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  grave  on  the  30th  of  October  1785.  His 
funeral  took  place  from  his  house  No.  20  Mill  Street  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July  3rd  18 16,  his  remains  being  in- 
10 


146 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


terred  in  the  Jewish  Cemetery.  By  the  Act  of  April  13th 
1787,  reorganizing  Columbia  College,  Rabbi  Seixas  was  ap- 
pointed a  trustee  of  that  institution,  and  by  a  subsequent  Act 
in  i8iowas  continued  in  that  position.  In  the  Daily  Gazette 
of  December  23rd  1789  there  appeared  an  interesting  adver- 
tisement stating  that  upon  the  following  day  there  would  be 
published,  at  the  price  of  one  shilling,  a  Discourse  delivered 
by  the  Rev.  Gershom  Seixas  in  the  Jewish  Synagogue  on 
Thanksgiving  Day,  November  26th  1789.  It  closed  with  the 
statement:  "This  excellent  discourse  (to  which  is  annexed 
the  Order  of  Service)  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  preached  in 
English  in  this  State,  is  highly  deserving  the  attention  of 
every  pious  reader,  whether  Jew  or  Christian,  as  it  breathes 
nothing  but  pure  morality  and  devotion."  In  1789  this  con- 
gregation lost  two  of  its  prominent  members.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  April  1 2th  died  Moses  Gomez  a  highly  respected  real- 
estate  and  money  broker  at  No.  203  Water  Street,  of  whom 
the  Daily  Gazette  contained  the  following  obituary  notice  : 
"  He  was  religious,  hospitable,  humane  and  generous,  and  a 
staunch  friend  of  freedom,  as  was  evinced  by  his  relinquishing 
a  very  considerable  property  and  residing  among  the  friends 
of  the  revolution  during  the  late  war." 

"  Here  rests  at  length,  his  labours  at  an  end, 
The  rich  man's  model  and  the  poor  man's  friend. 
After  a  life  of  persevering  toil, 
We  trust  his  reliques  to  his  native  soil  ; 
Convinced  his  renovated  frame  will  rise 
And  his  blest  spirit  claim  the  promised  skies." 

On  the  29th  of  July  the  congregation  lost  another  member 
and  the  city  an  honorable  merchant  by  the  death  of  Haymen 
Levy  "  a  gentleman  much  respected  by  all  denominations  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance."  During  the  Revolu- 
tion he  had  retired  to  Philadelphia  and  of  him  the  Phila- 
delphia Journal  said  :  "  His  character  as  a  merchant  was  with- 
out blemish  ;  he  was  a  true  patriot  and  friend  of  the  United 
States,  an  affectionate  husband,  a  tender  father,  and  a  sincere 
friend.    The  widow,  the  orphan  and  the  poor  will  lament  the 


ChurcJics  and  Clergy. 


147 


loss  ;  he  was  benevolent  and  charitable  to  a  great  degree ;  his 
house  was  open  to  all  strangers  of  good  character  to  partake 
of  his  liberality."  Mr.  Levy  was  one  of  the  great  fur  dealers 
of  his  time  and  in  his  store  John  Jacob  Astor  learned  that 
business.  The  Jewish  Burying  Ground,  of  which  a  small 
part  still  exists,  in  1789  occupied  the  block  now  bounded  by 
the  New  Bowery,  Oliver,  Madison  and  James  Streets,  the  first 
mentioned  having  been  cut  through  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  old  block. 

The  Presbyterians  erected  their  first  church  in  the  city  in 
1 7 19  on  the  north  side  of  Wall  Street  about  half-way  between 
Broadway  and  Nassau  Street,  the  church  yard  having  a  front- 
age of  eighty-eight  feet,  and  extending  to  a  line  fifty  feet 
from  the  corner  of  Nassau  Street.  This  building  had  been 
enlarged  in  1748  to  an  edifice  of  rough  stone,  sixty  feet  wide 
by  eighty  feet  long,  with  a  cupola  and  a  bell.  In  the  year 
1766,  owing  to  the  increased  number  of  the  congregation,  this 
church  obtained  from  the  city  a  plot  of  ground  known  as  the 
Vineyard  on  the  north  side  of  Beekman  Street  between  Park 
Row  and  Nassau  Street,  now  occupied  by  the  Potter  and  New 
York  Times  buildings,  on  a  perpetual  lease  of  ,£40  a  year, 
upon  which  the  Brick  Meeting  was  erected,  and  dedicated 
January  1st  1768  as  a  collegiate  church  with  that  on  Wall 
Street.  In  Manasseh  Cutler's  diary,  in  the  year  1787,  it  is 
stated  that  the  Brick  Meeting  building  was  large  and  elegant, 
the  carved  woodwork  being  plain  but  effective.  The  building 
was  long,  having  the  pulpit  near  one  end  but  not  close  to  the 
wall,  it  being  supported  by  a  single  post  which  passed  up  at 
the  back  of  it  and  was  crowned  by  the  sounding-board  not 
more  than  two  feet  above  the  minister's  head.  At  the  end  of 
the  building  opposite  the  pulpit  were  two  doors  opening  into 
two  aisles  which  extended  the  length  of  the  house,  there  being 
a  row  of  long  narrow  pews  along  each  wall  and  two  rows  be- 
tween the  aisles.  Near  the  middle  of  the  side  walls  were  two 
pews,  opposite  to  each  other,  which  were  considerably  elevated 
and  covered  with  a  handsome  canopy  supported  by  pillars. 
These  were  called  the  Governor's  pews  and  were  reserved  for 
strangers.    Around  the  large  pillar  which  supported  the  pul- 


148 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


pit  there  was  a  very  large  circular  pew  in  which  the  church  of- 
ficers and  chorister  sat,  a  little  desk  in  front  of  it,  considerably 
elevated,  being  occupied  by  the  chorister  when  singing.  When 
a  Psalm  was  given  out  the  chorister  sang  the  first  line  and  the 
whole  congregation  joined  with  him  in  the  second  line.  There 
was  no  organ.  Immediately  after  the  singing  which  closed  the 
service,  a  collection  was  taken  up  in  tin  platters  to  which  each 
person  contributed  one  copper  and  no  more,  the  whole  matter 
occupying  but  about  three  minutes.  The  ministers  of  the 
Wall  Street  and  Brick  churches  preached  in  them  alternately 
in  the  morning  and  the  afternoon,  the  sermon  delivered  in  one 
church  in  the  morning  being  repeated  in  the  other  church  in 
the  afternoon.  In  1788  Noah  Webster  described  the  Brick 
Meeting  as  "  a  genteel  brick  building  thirty-three  feet  long 
and  sixty-five  wide,  with  a  steeple  not  finished."  During  the 
Revolution  the  British  used  the  Wall  Street  building  as  a 
barrack  and  the  Brick  Meeting  as  a  hospital,  but,  after  the 
peace,  upon  the  invitation  of  Trinity  Church  the  Presbyterian 
Congregation  worshipped  in  St.  George's  Chapel  for  a  few 
months  until  the  Brick  Meeting  was  repaired  in  1784.  The 
Wall  Street  church  was  reopened  in  1785  and  stood  until  1809 
when  a  new  building  was  erected  on  the  same  site,  which  was 
burnt  down  in  1834,  rebuilt  in  the  following  year,  and  occu- 
pied until  1844  when  it  was  sold  and  removed  stone  by  stone 
to  Jersey  City  where  it  was  used  as  a  church  until  its  sale  in 
May  1888  for  other  purposes.  The  Wall  Street  congregation 
is  at  present  represented  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  on 
the  west  side  of  Fifth  Avenue  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
Streets,  which  was  opened  for  worship  on  the  nth  of  Janu- 
ary 1846.  The  Brick  Meeting  continued  to  be  a  collegiate 
church  with  that  in  Wall  Street  until  1809,  when  that  connec- 
tion was  dissolved  and  the  building  was  used  by  the  inde- 
pendent congregation  until  it  was  torn  down  in  1856,  the  con- 
gregation then  building  the  Brick  Church  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Thirty-seventh  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  which  was 
dedicated  October  31st  1858.  During  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  1789  the  only  settled  pastor  of  these  churches  was  the 
Rev.  Dr.  John  Rodgers,  one  of  the  foremost  figures  in  Amer- 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


149 


ican  Presbyterianism.  Dr.  Rodgers  was  born  in  Boston, 
August  5th  1727,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia  when  he  was 
one  year  old.  When  a  boy  he  was  deeply  moved  by  the 
preaching  of  Whitefield,  and,  after  receiving  his  education  in 
Pennsylvania  grammar  schools,  completed  his  preparation  for 
the  ministry  under  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent  in  Philadelphia,  be- 
ing licensed  to  preach  in  October  1747.  After  a  pastorate  of 
sixteen  years  in  Philadelphia  he  was  called  to  New  York  and 
installed  pastor  of  the  Wall  Street  Church  on  the  4th  of  Sep- 
tember 1765.  The  church  flourished  wonderfully  under  his 
ministration  and  when  it  became  necessary  to  build  the  Brick 
Meeting  a  large  portion  of  the  funds  for  its  erection  was  col- 
lected by  his  personal  exertions.  In  1768  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  D.D.  from  Edinburgh  University,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Whitefield  and  through  the  agency  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 
During  the  Revolution  he  was  an  ardent  patriot  acting  as  a 
brigade  chaplain  in  1776,  as  chaplain  o^  the  State  Convention 
at  Esopus  in  May  1777,  of  the  Council  of  Safety,  and  of  the 
first  Legislature  under  the  State  Constitution  of  1777.  In 
October  1776  he  retired  from  the  city  and  remained  absent 
until  1783,  one  of  his  earliest  sermons  after  his  return  being 
entitled  "The  Divine  Goodness  displayed  in  the  American 
Revolution."  He  was  a  Regent  of  the  State  University,  a 
trustee  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  Moderator  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  General  Assembly  at  Philadelphia  in  1789,  and 
in  the  same  year  was  President  of  the  Society  for  the  Relief 
of  Distressed  Debtors,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Society  for 
promoting  Useful  Knowledge.  He  died  in  N.  Y.  City,  May 
7th  181 1.  He  is  described  as  a  stout  man  of  medium  height 
who  wore  a  white  wig,  was  extremely  careful  in  his  dress,  and 
walked  with  the  most  majestic  dignity.  He  was  elegant  in 
manners,  but  formal  to  such  a  degree  that  there  is  a  tradition 
that  the  last  thing  which  he  and  his  wife  always  did  before 
retiring  for  the  night  was  to  salute  each  other  with  a  bow  and 
a  courtesy.  Among  his  qualities  were  fervent  piety,  great 
tact,  perseverance,  and  liberality  toward  the  opinion  of  others 
although  very  firm  in  his  own  belief.  His  preaching  was  un- 
polished and  lacked  variety  in  style,  but  was  marked  by  deep 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


earnestness,  his  sermons  being  delivered  from  memory  until 
1803,  after  which  time  he  read  them  until  he  ceased  to  preach 
in  September  1809.  His  salary  was  £700  a  year,  his  perqui- 
sites amounting  to  ^200  more,  and  in  1789  he  resided  at  No.  7 
Nassau  Street. 

In  the  early  part  of  1789  the  Rev.  James  Muir  also 
preached  in  the  Wall  Street  church  as  a  candidate  for  co- 
pastorship  with  Dr.  Rodgers  in  the  place  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson 
who  had  vacated  that  office  in  January  1788.  Mr.  Muir  was 
born  in  Scotland  on  the  12th  of  April  1757  and  after  gradua- 
tion at  the  University  of  Glasgow  and  the  study  of  theology 
in  Edinburgh  had  preached  in  London  and  the  Island  of  Ber- 
muda until  the  latter  part  of  1788  when  he  came  to  New 
York.  The  Rev.  Jedidiah  Morse,  however,  was  also  a  candi- 
date for  this  pulpit  and  the  disagreement  of  the  congregation 
as  to  the  respective  merits  of  Mr.  Morse  and  Mr.  Muir  was 
such  that  neither  of  them  was  chosen  pastor.  On  the  3rd  of 
February  1789  a  member  of  the  congregation  published  a  card 
in  the  Daily  Gazette  stating  that  it  was  rumored  that  Mr. 
Muir  had  accepted  a  call  to  Alexandria,  Va.,  but  that  this  was 
by  no  means  certain  as  his  preaching  was  acceptable  to  a  por- 
tion of  the  pew-holders  while  others  opposed  him,  but  that  it 
was  hoped  that  all  might  agree  upon  his  establishment  as  co- 
pastor.  Mr.  Muir,  however,  accepted  the  call  to  Alexandria, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death  on  the  8th  of  August  1820. 
He  is  described  as  a  short  and  very  stout  man,  with  a  grave 
but  very  benignant  expression  of  countenance,  and  a  disposi- 
tion so  unsuspecting  that,  upon  his  coming  to  America,  he  was 
told  by  a  relative  not  to  believe  a  word  that  he  heard  and  not 
more  than  half  of  what  he  saw.  His  sermons  were  excellent 
and  rarely  more  than  thirty  five  minutes  long,  but  his  strong 
Scotch  brogue  and  a  slight  defect  in  his  speech  interfered  with 
his  popularity  as  a  preacher  in  this  country.  The  statements 
regarding  the  simplicity  of  his  mind  have  perhaps  been  either 
exaggerated  or  not  half  sufficiently  set  forth,  if  the  following 
fact  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  it.  In  a  letter  written  in 
January  1789  by  an  elder  of  the  Wall  Street  church,  the  writer 
expresses  his  indignation  at  the  fact  that  after  Mr.  Muir  knew 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


that  his  services  would  be  required  but  one  Sunday  longer,  he 
gave  out  to  be  sung  the  120th  Psalm  according  to  Watts' 
version.    That  Psalm  reads  as  follows  : 


"  Thou  God  of  love,  thou  ever  blest, 
Pity  my  suff'ring  state  ; 
When  wilt  thou  set  my  soul  at  rest, 
From  lips  that  love  deceit  ? 

Hard  lot  of  mine  !  my  days  are  cast 

Among  the  sons  of  strife, 
Whose  never-ceasing  quarrels  waste 

My  golden  hours  of  life. 

Oh  might  I  fly  to  change  my  place, 

How  would  I  choose  to  dwell 
In  some  wide  lonesome  wilderness 

And  leave  these  gates  of  hell  I 

Peace  is  the  blessing  that  I  seek, 

How  lovely  are  its  charms  ! 
I  am  for  peace  ;  but  when  I  speak, 

They  all  declare  for  arms. 

New  passions  still  their  souls  engage, 
And  keep  their  malice  strong ; 

What  shall  be  done  to  curb  thy  rage, 
O  thou  devouring  tongue ! 

Should  burning  arrows  smite  thee  through, 
Strict  justice  would  approve  ; 

But  I  would  rather  spare  my  foe, 
And  melt  his  heart  with  love." 


This  piece  of  simplicity  was  rewarded  by  a  large  number 
of  empty  pews  at  the  next  service.  After  Mr.  Muir's  depart- 
ure from  New  York,  Dr.  Rodgers  remained  sole  pastor  until 
December  2nd  1789  when  the  Rev.  John  McKnight  was 
installed  as  his  colleague,  having  been  called  to  this  church 
in  July  1789.  Mr.  McKnight  was  born  near  Carlisle,  Pa., 
October  1st  1754,  and,  after  graduation  from  the  College  of 
New  Jersey  in  1773  and  ordination  in  1777,  was  settled  in 
Virginia  until  1783  when  he  removed  to  Lower  Marsh  Creek, 
Pa.    It  is  related  that  while  he  was  settled  there  a  newly 


152 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ordained  ruling  elder  who  had  been  appointed  to  attend  a 
meeting  of  Presbytery  came  to  him  in  great  agitation  to  learn 
what  his  duties  would  be,  and  received  the  reply :  "  You  are 
to  see  that  my  horse  is  fed  and  saddled  in  time  to  start  ;  to  go 
before  and  have  breakfast  or  dinner  prepared  for  us ;  to  pay 
the  bills,  and  in  Presbytery  to  vote  as  I  do."  This  sportive- 
ness  greatly  relieved  the  elder,  who  was  then  instructed  as  to 
his  real  duties.  Mr.  McKnight  arrived  in  New  York  with 
his  family  on  the  3rd  of  November  1789,  was  installed  on 
Wednesday  the  2nd  of  December,  and  on  the  following  Sun- 
day preached  from  the  very  appropriate  text :  "  I  ask  therefore 
for  what  intent  ye  have  sent  for  me."  He  received  the  degree 
of  D.D.  from  Yale  College  in  1 791  and  in  1795  was  Professor 
of  Moral  Philosophy  and  Logic  in  Columbia  College.  He 
was  Dr.  Rodgers'  only  colleague  until  1792  when  his  ill- 
health  made  a  third  minister  necessary,  and  he  resigned  his 
pastorship  in  1809  when  the  collegiate  system  between  the 
Wall  Street  and  Brick  Churches  came  to  an  end.  He  then 
resided  on  a  farm  near  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  until  181 5  when 
he  became  President  of  Dickinson  College,  but  resigned  that 
office  in  a  little  more  than  a  year,  and  returned  to  his  farm 
where  he  died  October  21st  1823.  He  was  a  rather  tall  and 
slender  man,  of  a  cheerful  disposition,  and  dignified  in  manner 
without  the  pompous  formality  for  which  some  of  his  contem- 
poraries were  noted.  In  his  preaching  he  was  a  zealous  Cal- 
vinist,  but  calm  and  dispassionate,  and  lacked  variety  of  tone 
and  gesture. 

The  treatment  of  the  Presbyterians  by  the  Episcopalians 
before  the  Revolution  had  been  far  from  generous,  and  al- 
though their  respective  ministers  were  on  most  friendly  terms 
after  the  war,  the  members  of  their  congregations  were  very 
willing  to  engage  in  a  newspaper  controversy  whenever  op- 
portunity was  offered,  the  columns  of  the  N.  Y.  Packet, 
edited  by  Samuel  Loudon  an  elder  in  the  Scotch  Church,  be- 
ing the  favorite  place  of  combat.  The  greatest  Presbyterian 
grievance  had  been  the  denial  of  a  charter  to  them  in  1720 
through  the  opposition  of  Trinity  Church,  and  for  this  reason 
they  had  been  obliged  to  place  their  property  in  the  trust  of 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


153 


the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland  until  the  general  Act  of 
April  6th  1784  for  the  organization  of  churches,  after  which  it 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  church  trustees.  The  minis- 
ters' salaries  were  raised  by  the  renting  of  the  pews.  The 
officers  of  these  churches  in  1789  were 

Elders. 

John  Broome  William  Irving 

Peter  Ricker  John  Thompson 

Benjamin  Steymets  Abraham  Van  Gelder 

John  Lasher. 
Deacons. 

John  King  Lewis  Nichols 

William  Williams  John  Bingham. 

Trustees. 

John  Murray  Ebenezer  Hazard 

Daniel  Phoenix  William  Edgar 

Thomas  Arden  Robert  Bruce 

Alexander  Stewart  John  Sloss  Hobart. 

There  was  also  a  school  connected  with  these  churches 
which  in  1789  had  no  regular  schoolhouse,  but  in  January  1790 
there  appeared  an  advertisement  for  proposals  for  building 
such  a  house  and  during  the  summer  of  that  year  a  brick 
building  25  feet  wide  by  40  feet  long  was  erected  on  Nassau 
Street  opposite  the  Middle  Dutch  Church.  In  December 
1790  this  school  was  attended  by  fifty  children. 

About  the  year  1757  differences  arose  in  the  Wall  Street 
Church  with  regard  to  Psalmody  and  a  part  of  that  congre- 
gation having  withdrawn,  formed  a  new  congregation  and  in 
1768  erected  a  church  on  the  south  side  of  Little  Queen 
(Cedar)  Street  somewhat  nearer  to  Broadway  than  to  Nassau 
Street,  which  was  popularly  known  as  the  Scotch  Presbyte- 
rian Church  but  more  formally  as  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church,  a  title  derived  from  the  union  in  1782  of  the  Asso- 
ciate and  Reformed  or  Covenanter  Presbyterian  churches  in 
America.  This  building,  sixty-five  and  a  half  feet  long  by 
fifty-four  and  a  half  feet  wide,  was  of  stone  and  was  used 
as  a  place  of  worship  until  1836  when  the  congregation  re- 
moved to  a  new  building  on  Grand  Street  near  the  corner 


154 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


of  Crosby  Street,  whence  it  again  moved  in  1853  to  the  pres- 
ent building  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Fourteenth  Street 
and  Sixth  Avenue.  During  the  Revolution  the  Scotch 
church  was  used  by  the  British  as  a  prison  and  hospital  but 
was  repaired  and  reopened  on  the  first  of  May  1784,  there 
being  ninety  pews  on  the  ground  floor  and  sixty  in  the  gal- 
leries. In  the  summer  of  1761  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Mason  had 
been  installed  pastor  of  this  church, — an  office  which  he  held 
until  his  death  on  the  19th  of  April  1792,  receiving  a  salary 
of  £400  after  the  Revolution.  He  is  said  to  have  been  born 
in  the  County  of  Linlithgow,  Scotland,  in  1734,  and  received 
his  theological  education  under  the  Rev.  Alexander  Moncrief 
at  Abernethy.  The  year  before  his  birth  a  portion  of  the 
Scotch  Church,  under  the  leadership  of  Ebenezer  Erskine,  had 
seceded  from  the  Established  Church  because  of  their  belief  in 
the  right  of  the  people  to  choose  their  own  ministers,  which 
had  been  infringed  upon  by  an  Act  passed  in  17 12  restoring 
to  Scotch  patrons  the  right  of  presentation  to  benefices,  and 
under  the  auspices  of  these  Seceders  or  the  Associate  Presby- 
tery Dr.  Mason  received  his  instruction.  In  1746  the  Seceders 
themselves  divided  into  two  parties,  known  as  the  Burghers 
and  the  Antiburghers,  on  the  question  of  taking  an  oath  re- 
quired of  all  town-officers  to  the  effect  that  they  professed  and 
allowed  "  the  true  religion  presently  professed  within  this 
realm  and  authorized  by  the  laws  thereof."  The  Burghers 
were  willing  to  take  this  oath,  while  the  Antiburghers,  of 
whom  Dr.  Mason  was  one,  refused  to  profess  as  the  true  re- 
ligion that  of  the  Establishment  from  which  they  had  se- 
ceded. It  is  said  that  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  Dr.  Mason 
was  able  to  discuss  questions  of  history,  philosophy,  and  the- 
ology in  the  Latin  tongue  with  as  much  ease  as  in  English, 
and  in  1758  he  became  assistant  professor  of  Logic  and  Moral 
Philosophy  at  Abernethy,  his  ordination  as  a  minister  taking 
place  in  the  Spring  of  1761.  Upon  his  arrival  in  America  he 
at  once  took  a  leading  part  in  the  management  of  the  denom- 
ination to  which  he  belonged,  and  earnestly  deprecated  the 
introduction  into  this  country  of  "  the  dry,  the  fruitless,  the 
disgracing  and   pernicious  controversy  about   the  Burgess 


Churches  a?td  Clergy. 


155 


Oath,"  for  which  cause  his  name  was  stricken  from  the  roll 
of  the  Synod  in  Scotland.  He  was  a  strong  opponent  of  ef- 
forts to  establish  an  archbishopric  in  New  York  before  the 
Revolution  and  during  the  war  was  an  ardent  patriot,  acting 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  as  a  chaplain  in  the  American 
army  at  West  Point,  during  which  service  a  pencil  portrait 
was  surreptitiously  made  of  him  by  Kosciusko,  which  is  the 
only  known  portrait  of  him.  In  1782  the  union  of  a  part  of 
the  Associate  and  Reformed  Presbyterian  Churches  in  this 
country  was  effected  largely  by  his  exertions,  and  in  1783  he 
was  chosen  Moderator  of  the  first  General  Assembly  of  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church.  From  1779  to  1785  he  was  a 
trustee  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  from  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  D.D.  in  1786  ;  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Society  for  the  relief  of  Distressed  Debtors,  a  member  of  the 
Manumission  Society,  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  chaplain 
of  the  St.  Andrew's  Society,  and  a  trustee  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege. He  is  described  as  a  man  of  medium  stature,  with 
black  hair  and  eyes,  polished  in  manner,  very  systematic  in 
his  habits,  and  decided  in  character.  He  was  distinguished 
for  his  learning,  sound  judgment  and  knowledge  of  the  world, 
and  as  a  preacher  was  plain  but  energetic.  In  1789  he  resided 
at  No.  63  Cortlandt  Street.  The  trustees  of  the  Scotch 
Church  in  1789  were 

John  Shephard  William  Wilson 

Robert  Gosman  John  Thompson 

James  Raynolds  George  Lindsay 

Robert  Harper  Thomas  Allan 

Alexander  Robertson. 


Among  the  church  officers  and  congregation  there  were 
also  Dr.  James  Tillery,  No.  86  Broadway ;  Samuel  Loudon, 
editor  of  the  N.  Y.  Packet ;  James  Walker,  dry  goods  mer- 
chant, No.  14  William  Street ;  and  John  Young,  schoolmaster, 
No.  7  Fair  (Fulton)  Street.  In  February  1 791  Alexander  Rob- 
ertson presented  the  church  with  two  lots  and  a  house  on 
King  (Pine)  Street  to  be  used  as  a  church  school. 

In  1785  an  Associate  Presbyterian  congregation  was  formed 


156 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


which  in  1787  erected  a  plain  frame  building  fifty  feet  long  by 
twenty-four  feet  wide  on  the  east  side  of  Nassau  Street  some- 
what nearer  to  John  than  to  Fair  (Fulton)  Street.  In  1824 
the  Presbyterians  sold  the  building,  known  as  the  "  Seceders 
Church,"  to  the  South  Baptist  Church  and  removed  to  an- 
other building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Grand  and  Mercer 
Streets  where  they  remained  about  thirty  years,  when  they 
again  removed  to  the  corner  of  Grand  and  Crosby  Streets, 
and  about  the  year  1867  established  themselves  in  the  present 
Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  on  the  south  side  of  Thirty- 
fourth  Street  west  of  Sixth  Avenue.  The  old  Nassau  Street 
building  was  occupied  by  the  Baptists  until  1849,  when  it 
ceased  to  be  used  as  a  church.  The  Seceders  Church  had  no 
settled  pastor  until  1792  but  during  a  part  of  the  year  1789  its 
pulpit  was  occupied  by  the  Rev.  David  Goodwillie,  D.D. 
who  was  born  near  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  on  the  26th  of  De- 
cember, 1749.  After  graduation  at  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh, he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  October  1778,  and  after 
preaching  in  Great  Britain  for  ten  years  came  to  New  York 
in  May  1788,  and  occupied  the  pulpit  of  this  church  for  three 
Sundays.  He  was  ordained  in  Philadelphia  in  October  1788 
and  after  serving  in  several  places  came  to  New  York  again  in 
June  1789.  In  September  of  that  year,  however,  he  left  the 
city  to  become  pastor  of  a  Scotch  church  in  Barnet,  Vt., 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  August  2nd  1830,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  Vermont  legislature,  Town  Clerk,  Town 
Treasurer,  and  Postmaster  of  Barnet.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  great  versatility,  close 
observation  and  profound  common  sense.  His  sermons  were 
"  intensely  evangejical,  and  divided  and  subdivided  with  most 
systematic  exactness."  Among  the  officers  of  this  church  in 
1789  were 


Elders. 


John  McFarland. 
Andrew  Wright. 


Joseph  Patterson. 
  Fenton 


Trustees. 


Peter  Fenton. 
Samuel  Milligan 
William  Robertson 


George  Cleland 
John  Mac  Farlane 
John  McKee. 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


The  earliest  Baptist  church  in  the  city  was  built  in  1728 
on  the  west  side  of  Cliff  Street  north  of  Golden  Hill  (John) 
Street  but  the  building  was  sold  and  the  congregation  dis- 
solved by  the  year  1736.  In  1762  another  church  was  erected 
which,  in  1789,  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Gold  Street  about 
half  way  between  Fair  (Fulton)  and  Golden  Hill  (John) 
Street.  Soon  after  its  erection  it  was  enlarged  to  a  building 
fifty-two  feet  long  by  forty-two  feet  wide  which  was  used  as  a 
cavalry  stable  during  the  Revolution  but  was  repaired  soon 
after  the  peace,  and  stood  until  March  1801  when  a  new 
building  was  begun  on  the  same  site.  This  new  building  was 
occupied  until  1841  when  the  congregation  removed  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  Broome  and  Elizabeth  Streets  whence  it 
again  removed,  about  the  year  1868,  and  in  1871  occupied 
the  present  First  Baptist  Church  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Park  Avenue  and  Thirty-ninth  Street.  In  1789  this  church 
was  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Foster,  who 
was  born  in  Danvers,  Mass.,  on  the  12th  of  June  1750,  and 
had  been  converted  to  the  Baptist  doctrine  by  a  debate  on 
that  subject  in  which  he  took  part  while  at  Yale  College  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1774.  From  1776  until  1782  he 
was  settled  in  Leicester,  Mass.,  and  then  for  three  years  in  his 
native  town.  In  1785  he  removed  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  whence 
he  came  to  New  York  in  September  1788.  He  received  the 
degree  of  A.M.  from  Yale  College  in  1781  and  from  the 
College  of  Rhode  Island  in  178^  and  also  received  that  of 
S.T.D.  from  the  latter  in  1792.  He  remained  pastor  of  the 
Gold  Street  Church  until  his  death  of  yellow  fever,  on  the 
26th  of  August  1798.  He  is  said  to  have  had  but  few  supe- 
riors in  knowledge  of  Greek,  Hebrew  and  Chaldee,  and  to 
have  been  distinguished  for  his  zeal  and  hard  work,  preaching 
from  four  to  six  sermons  a  week  during  the  last  twelve  or 
fourteen  years  of  his  life.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No.  10  Gold 
Street.  According  to  Gillette's  minutes  of  the  Philadelphia 
Baptist  Church  Association  the  statistics  of  the  Gold  Street 
church  for  the  year  ending  in  October  1789  were,  baptized 
19;  received  by  letter,  2;  dismissed,  4;  excommunicated, 
13;  deceased,  2;  members,  196.    The  Messengers  from  this 


158 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


church  to  the  Philadelphia  Association  meetings  in  the  years 
1788,  1789  and  1790,  were  William  Thompson;  Samuel 
Dodge,  carpenter,  No.  6  Vandewater  Street ;  Abraham  Can- 
non, shoemaker,  No.  28  Frankfort  Street ;  Ezekiel  Robins, 
hatter,  No.  29  Queen  Street  ;  William  Norris,  shoemaker, 
Frankfort  Street ;  Thomas  Longly  ;  Thomas  Slow ;  William 
Durell,  china  merchant,  No.  15  Little  Dock  Street;  Thomas 
Montanye;  and  John  Bedient,  grocer,  No.  16  Gold  Street. 

In  June  1752  the  first  Moravian  church  was  built  on  the 
south  side  of  Fair  (Fulton)  Street  half  way  between  Dutch 
and  William  Streets,  the  minister's  house  forming  part  of  the 
building.  It  was  a  small  frame  building  the  corner  stone  of 
which  was  laid  June  16th  I75i,the  consecration  services  being 
held  on  the  18th  of  June  1752.  During  the  Revolution  the 
congregation  was  dispersed,  but  the  church  was  re-opened 
soon  after  the  declaration  of  peace  and  was  used  until  1844 
when  the  congregation  removed  to  the  corner  of  Houston  and 
Mott  Streets,  whence  it  again  removed  in  1867,  and,  after  oc- 
cupying temporary  quarters,  about  the  beginning  of  1870 
opened  the  present  church  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Lex- 
ington Avenue  and  Thirtieth  Street.  Soon  after  the  Revolu- 
tion the  Rev.  James  Birkby  became  pastor  of  this  church  and 
so  continued  until  1793.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No.  85  Fair 
(Fulton)  Street. 

About  the  year  1758  a  congregation  of  German  Calvinists 
was  formed  which  in  1763  purchased  for  $1250  the  building 
on  the  east  side  of  Nassau  Street  about  half  way  between 
John  Street  and  Maiden  Lane  which  had  formerly  been  used 
as  a  theatre.  In  1765  this  building  was  torn  down  and  the 
corner  stone  of  a  new  church  upon  the  same  site  was  laid  on 
the  8th  of  March  in  that  year.  The  German  Reformed  con- 
gregation, which  was  connected  with  the  Classis  of  the  Dutch 
Church,  occupied  this  building  until  1822  when  it  was  sold  to 
the  South  Baptist  Church  which  worshipped  in  it  until  1824 
when  it  was  again  sold  for  business  purposes  and  so  used  until 
its  demolition  in  the  summer  of  1847.  In  1822  the  German 
Reformed  congregation  removed  to  No.  21  Forsyth  Street 
near  Walker  Street  where  it  remained  until  i860,  with  the 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


159 


exception  of  the  interval  between  185 1  and  1856  during  which 
period  there  was  litigation  for  the  possession  of  the  church 
property  and  a  portion  of  the  congregation  worshipped  else- 
where. In  1 861  it  removed  to  the  present  building  No.  131 
Norfolk  Street.  In  1789  this  church,  which  was  commonly 
called  the  Baron's  Church  because  of  the  attendance  of  Baron 
Steuben,  was  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Daniel 
Gross,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1737.  His  first  settle- 
ment in  America  was  in  Pennsylvania  whence  he  removed  to 
New  York  State  in  1772  and  labored  in  the  Mohawk  Valley 
until  1 781,  when  he  changed  his  field  to  Albany  and  Kingston, 
being  exposed  to  great  perils  during  the  Revolution.  He 
began  his  pastorate  in  New  York  City  on  the  26th  of  August 
1783  and  resigned  it  in  May  1795  on  account  of  ill-health. 
From  New  York  he  went  to  Canajoharie,  where  he  remained 
until  1802,  when,  being  wealthy  through  speculation  in  sol- 
diers' land-warrants,  he  retired  to  a  farm  near  Fort  Plain 
where  he  died  on  the  25th  of  May  18 12.  He  was  a  Regent 
of  the  State  University  from  1784  to  1787,  trustee  of  Colum- 
bia College  from  1787  to  1792,  receiving  the  degree  of  S.T.D. 
from  it  in  1789  and  being  professor  of  German  and  Geog- 
raphy in  it  from  1784  to  1795,  the  teaching  of  Moral  Philos- 
ophy also  being  entrusted  to  him  in  1787.  His  salary  as 
pastor  of  the  German  Church  was  .£150  a  year,  of  which  he 
received  about  £107  during  the  year  1789,  the  total  expenses 
of  the  church  being  ^240  16s.  2d.,  of  which  £26  ios.  were  paid 
to  George  Gilfert,  the  organist.  The  number  of  marriages  by 
Dr.  Gross  during  the  year  was  twenty-two,  and  baptisms  fifty- 
five.  Among  the  officers  and  members  of  this  church  in  1789 
were  Christian  Will,  pewterer,  No.  4  Water  St. ;  Henry  Will, 
treasurer  of  the  church  ;  William  Gardiner,  tailor,  No.  9  King 
St.  ;  Caspar  Stamler,  butcher ;  William  Snyder,  merchant, 
Chatham  St. ;  John  Spies,  shoemaker,  No.  24  Chatham  St.  ; 
Henry  Fredrich,  glover,  36  Broadway ;  John  Jacob  Astor, 
who  was  church  treasurer  for  several  years  ;  Maurice  Alhart, 
blacksmith  ;  Philip  Jacobs,  merchant,  20  Broadway ;  George 
Shelding,  hair  dresser,  No.  70  Queen  Street ;  John  Mil- 
doller,  tobacconist,  102  Queen  St.  ;  Nicholas  Meade,  baker, 


i6o 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


No.  55  Magazine  St.;  and  Henry  Limberger,  baker,  in  Dey 
St. 

The  next  denomination  to  build  a  church  in  the  city  was 
the  Methodists,  who  first  met  in  a  private  house,  about  the 
year  1760,  and  then  in  a  rigging  loft  at  No.  120  William 
Street,  which  was  demolished  about  the  year  1855.  From 
this  building  they  removed  to  the  John  Street  Church  or 
Wesley  Chapel  which  was  dedicated  on  the  30th  of  October 
1768.  It  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Golden  Hill 
(John)  Street  between  Nassau  and  William  Streets  and  was 
a  low  stone  building  forty-two  feet  wide  by  sixty  feet  long, 
the  outside  of  the  walls  being  covered  with  blue  plaster.  The 
roof  was  peaked,  and,  at  first  there  was  but  one  entrance  in  the 
front  of  the  building,  but  entrances  for  the  galleries  were  after- 
wards made  at  each  side  of  the  main  entrance.  Over  each  of 
the  doors  there  was  a  window,  and  the  sides  of  the  building- 
each  contained  four  windows.  An  old  Dutch  building  which 
stood  in  front  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  church  was  used 
as  a  parsonage.  In  18 17  this  church  was  replaced  by  a  large 
granite  church  erected  on  the  same  site,  which,  in  turn,  was 
demolished  for  the  erection  of  the  present  smaller  building, 
No.  44  and  46  John  Street,  in  1841,  the  brick  stores  on  each 
side  of  it  being  built  at  the  same  time  on  the  church  prop- 
erty. During  the  Revolution  the  John  Street  church  was  for 
a  time  used  by  the  British  as  a  prison,  but  the  congregation 
were  allowed  to  worship  in  it  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
British  occupation  of  the  city,  being  considered  to  be  well  af- 
fected toward  England.  In  1789  the  settled  minister  of  this 
church  was  the  Rev.  John  Dickins,  who  then  resided  at  No. 
20  John  Street.  Mr.  Dickins  was  born  in  London  in  1746 
and  received  a  good  education  in  England,  whence  he  came  to 
America  before  the  Revolution.  He  became  an  itinerant 
minister  in  1777  and  after  several  brief  locations  was  settled  in 
New  York  City  from  1783  to  1785,  when  he  again  travelled 
for  a  year,  but  returned  to  the  city  in  1786  and  remained  there 
until  the  establishment  of  the  Book  Room  in  Philadelphia  of 
which  he  became  superintendent  in  the  latter  part  of  1789, 
holding  that  position  until  his  death,  of  yellow  fever,  on  the 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


161 


27th  of  September  1798.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of 
fine  intellectual  powers,  an  excellent  mathematician,  and  a 
good  Latin  and  Greek  scholar.  As  a  preacher  he  was  attrac- 
tive in  style  and  manner,  and  forcible  in  reasoning.  Robert 
Cloud,  an  exhorter  of  great  power  who  was  not  located  until 
1812,  was  also  in  the  city  in  1789.  The  Elder  in  New  York 
in  1789  was  Thomas  Morrell  who  was  born  in  the  city  No- 
vember 22nd  1747.  During  the  Revolution  he  acted  as  an 
officer  in  the  American  army  where  he  served  with  great  dis- 
tinction for  about  two  years.  In  the  latter  part  of  1777,  hav- 
ing been  obliged  by  failing  health  caused  by  wounds  to  leave 
the  army,  he  resumed  his  business  as  a  merchant  in  Elizabeth- 
town,  N.  J.,  where  he  remained  until  March  1787  when  he 
began  to  ride  as  a  travelling  preacher.  In  June  1789  he  was 
appointed  Elder  in  New  York  City,  where  he  remained  for 
five  years.  He  was  subsequently  stationed  in  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore  and  from  1802  until  1804  was  again  in  New 
York.  The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  passed  in  Elizabethtown 
where  he  died  on  the  9th  of  August  1838.  It  is  said  that  his 
love  of  his  country  was  second  only  to  his  love  of  God  and 
that  when  eighty-three  years  of  age  he  delivered  a  Fourth  of 
July  oration  "  worthy  of  one  whose  blood  had  actually  formed 
part  of  the  price  of  his  country's  liberties."  In  person  he  was 
short  and  stout,  having  a  small  head,  bright  blue  eyes,  thin 
lips,  and  a  general  appearance  of  great  firmness.  He  was  very 
energetic,  a  close  observer,  and,  while  making  no  pretensions 
to  learning,  was  a  practical  and  powerful  preacher,  delivering 
several  sermons  when  in  the  eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  All 
of  the  American  Methodists,  however,  had  not  been  of  this 
patriotic  type  and  that  fact  was  not  forgotten  in  1789. 
When,  on  the  29th  of  May  in  that  year,  the  Methodist  Con- 
ference then  assembled  in  New  York  sent  a  letter  of  saluta- 
tion to  the  President  of  the  United  States  signed  by  Bishops 
Coke  and  Asbury  this  action  by  the  former  attracted  some  at- 
tention. An  "  Inquirer"  in  the  Daily  Advertiser  of  June  17th 
wished  to  know  whether  Bishop  Coke  was  the  individual 
formerly  known  as  "  little  Doctor  Coke,"  who,  when  in  Eng- 
land, had  been  a  bitter  opponent  of  America.    This  inquisi- 


l62 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


tive  individual  further  wrote  :  "  If  the  same  little  Doctor 
Coke  I  refer  to  has  translated  himself  from  Mr.  Wesley's  so- 
cieties in  England  to  the  Bishopric  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  in  America,  he  ought  to  give  us  full  proof  of  his  politi- 
cal conversion.  ...  If  Bishop  Coke  is  this  same  Doctor 
Coke,  no  American,  but  a  British  subject,  uniformly  opposed 
to  us  in  principle  and  conduct  through  the  whole  of  the  war, 
is  it  not  the  extreme  of  hypocrisy  for  such  a  man  to  take  the 
lead  of  the  Episcopalians  in  an  address  to  the  President  of  our 
republican  government."  To  this,  Elder  Morrell,  over  the 
signature  of  "  A  Member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church," 
replied  on  the  19th  of  June  that  having  but  recently  become 
a  member  of  that  church  he  knew  nothing  of  Bishop  Coke's 
actions  during  the  Revolution,  but  that  his  sermons  in  Amer- 
ica since  that  time  showed  his  acceptance  of  the  new  order  of 
things,  and  that  Article  XXIII.  of  the  Methodist  Church  was 
sufficient  proof  of  the  true  Americanism  of  that  body.  He 
also  wished  to  know  by  what  right  "  Inquirer  "  made  such  a 
demand  for  knowledge  of  the  political  opinions  of  another, 
and  stated  that  the  latter  should  have  made  his  attack  while 
the  bishop  was  in  this  country  and  could  have  replied  to  it, 
but  that  if  he  was  ignorant  of  the  constitution  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church  he  could  obtain  full  information  upon  that  sub- 
ject by  applying  under  his  true  name  at  No.  20  John  Street. 
"  Inquirer,"  however,  had  a  good  deal  of  material  upon  which 
to  base  his  attack,  and  on  the  24th  of  June  made  another  bit- 
ter onslaught  upon  the  Methodists  by  quoting  a  number  of 
Wesley's  anti-American  remarks,  and  asking  where  Bishop 
Coke  got  his  consecration.  The  bishop  had  sailed  for  Liver- 
pool on  the  5th  of  June  and  upon  his  arrival  in  England  met 
the  usual  fate  of  a  trimmer  by  being  roundly  abused  for  his 
lack  of  loyalty  to  that  country.  The  John  Street  congrega- 
tion in  1789  numbered  about  300  persons  of  whom  a  consid- 
erable portion  were  negroes,  which  may  account  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  colored  man  in  its  pulpit  in  1786,  which  was 
probably  the  first  time  that  one  of  his  race  occupied  a  New 
York  pulpit.  The  N.  Y.  Packet  of  September  nth  1786 
mentions  the  fact  thus  :  "  Lately  came  to  this  city  a  very  sin- 


Churches  and  Clergy.  1 63 

gular  black  man,  who,  it  is  said  is  quite  ignorant  of  letters,  yet 
he  has  preached  in  the  Methodist  Church  several  times,  to 
the  acceptance  of  several  well-disposed  judicious  people.  He 
delivers  his  discourses  with  great  zeal  and  pathos,  and  his  lan- 
guage and  connection  is  by  no  means  contemptible.  It  is  the 
wish  of  several  of  our  correspondents  that  this  same  black  man 
may  be  so  far  successful  as  to  rouse  the  dormant  zeal  of  num- 
bers of  our  slothf  ul  white  people,  who  seem  very  little  affected 
about  the  concerns  of  another  world."  Among  the  members 
of  the  John  Street  church  in  1789  were  William  Lupton,  mer- 
chant, No.  22  John  St. ;  Paul  Hick,  shoemaker,  No.  43  Will- 
iam Street;  Abraham  Russell,  mason,  No.  16  Crown  Street; 
John  Staples,  merchant,  No.  67  King  Street  ;  Henry  New- 
ton;  Stephen  Dando;  Philip  Arcularius,  broker,  No.  7  Ann 
Street ;  Gilbert  Coutant ;  and  John  Bleeker,  grocer,  No.  198 
Queen  Street. 

At  the  Methodist  Conference,  consisting  of  twenty  mem- 
bers, held  in  the  city  in  May  and  June  1789,  it  was  decided 
to  build  another  Methodist  church,  and  in  August  seven  lots 
were  bought  for  that  purpose  for  ^350  upon  which  a  stone 
building  was  erected  and  dedicated  on  the  8th  of  November 
1789.  It  was  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Second  (Forsyth) 
Street  near  the  north  corner  of  Division  Street,  and  stood 
until  1833  when  a  new  building  was  erected  on  the  same  site 
which  is  still  occupied. 

The  first  Roman  Catholic  congregation  in  the  city  was 
formed  in  November  1783  under  the  pastorship  of  Rev.  An- 
drew Nugent,  and  worshipped  for  a  time  in  a  building  owned 
by  Trinity  Church  in  Vauxhall  Garden  near  the  North  River 
between  Warren  and  Chamber  Streets.  On  the  nth  of  June 
1785  this  congregation  was  incorporated  and  soon  afterwards 
purchased  from  Trinity  Church  five  lots  on  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Barclay  and  Church  Streets  upon  which  a  church  was 
erected,  the  corner  stone  of  which  was  laid  on  the  5th  of  Oc- 
tober 1785  by  Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui,  the  Spanish  ambassa- 
dor. This  building,  known  as  St.  Peter's  Church,  of  brick, 
eighty-one  feet  long  by  forty-eight  feet  wide,  was  consecrated 
before  its  completion  by  Rev.  Mr.  Nugent  on  the  4th  of  No- 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


vember  1786  and  stood  until  the  year  1836,  when  the  present 
building,  opened  in  1838,  was  erected.  Until  the  erection  of 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  in  18 15  this  was  the  only  Roman 
Catholic  church  in  the  city.  In  the  latter  part  of  1787  Mr. 
Nugent  was  removed  from  the  pastorship  of  St.  Peter's,  and 
the  Rev.  William  O'Brien,  a  Dominican,  took  his  place.  It 
is  said  that  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico  had  been  his  fellow- 
student  at  Bologna,  and  he  accordingly  began  his  service  by 
a  journey  to  Mexico  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  funds  and 
there  obtained  $4920,  a  gift  of  $1000  from  the  Bishop  and 
clergy  of  Puebla  de  los  Angelos,  and  several  paintings  for  the 
adornment  of  the  church.  He  remained  in  charge  of  St. 
Peter's  until  his  death  on  the  14th  of  May  18 16.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  Charles  III.  of  Spain  contributed  a  large  sum 
toward  the  erection  of  the  first  St.  Peter's  church,  but  among 
those  who  are  more  certainly  known  to  have  been  early  bene- 
factors of  that  church  were  Jose  Roiz  Silva,  a  wine  merchant 
then  at  No.  1  Beekman  Street ;  James  Steward  ;  Andrew 
Morris,  chandler,  No.  48  Great  Dock  Street ;  Gibbon  Burke, 
grocer,  No.  161  Water  Street;  William  Mooney,  upholsterer, 
No.  14  Nassau  Street ;  Charles  Naylor,  merchant,  No.  48 
William  Street ;  George  Barnwell,  merchant,  No.  205  Water 
Street ;  and  John  Sullivan,  grocer,  in  Moore  Street. 

The  Daily  Advertiser  of  November  6th  1789  contains  a 
notice  that  the  Independent  Congregational  Church  under 
the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  Mr.  George  Wall  would  hold  service 
in  their  new  meeting-house  at  the  upper  end  of  Great  George 
Street  on  the  following  Sunday.  This  was  probably  the  first 
Congregational  church  building  in  the  city  but  no  reference  is 
made  to  it  as  a  church  on  the  city  maps  until  1803  when  it 
appears  on  the  west  side  of  Broadway  a  short  distance  below 
Leonard  Street.  After  that  year  there  is  apparently  no  further 
mention  of  it.  The  name  of  the  Rev.  George  Wall,  residence 
at  No.  1  Thomas  Street,  first  appears  in  the  directory  of  1791, 
and  in  1795  he  removed  to  No.  329  Broadway,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death.  All  the  information  which  the  present 
writer  has  been  able  to  gather  concerning  him  is  derived  from 
his  will  and  the  certificate  of  his  death.    By  his  will,  dated 


Churches  and  Clergy. 


October  13th  1803,  he  left  all  his  worldly  possessions  to  Mrs. 
Jane  Matlock,  widow  of  Rev.  John  Matlock  of  New  York 
City ;  and  the  record  of  his  death  recites  that  he  was  a  native 
of  Scotland  who  died  of  apoplexy  at  his  residence  on  Broad- 
way on  the  1 2th  of  September  18 13  in  the  64th  year  of  his 
age.    He  was  buried  in  the  Presbyterian  cemetery. 


Amusements. 


Among  public  amusements  the  theatre  was  the  most  pop- 
ular. It  is  said  that  theatrical  performances  were  given  in 
New  York  as  early  as  the  year  1732,  but  the  first  entertain- 
ment of  this  kind  of  which  anything  is  definitely  known  was 
given  on  the  5th  of  March  1750  by  a  company  of  comedians 
from  Philadelphia  who  hired  a  room  in  Nassau  Street  and 
began  their  performances  with  Richard  III., — the  first  recorded 
production  of  one  of  Shakespeare's  plays  in  America.  This 
company  disbanded  in  July  175 1  and  nothing  is  known  of 
them  beyond  their  names  and  the  plays  which  they  produced. 
The  next  company  which  appeared  was  managed  by  Robert 
Upton,  an  Englishman  who  had  been  sent  from  London  to 
prepare  the  way  for  a  company  from  that  city.  Disregarding 
the  mission  for  which  he  was  employed  he  gave  performances 
for  his  own  benefit  from  December  175 1  until  March  1752 
when  he  took  his  departure.  Those  by  whom  he  had  been 
sent  to  this  country  were  members  of  what  was  long  known 
as  The  Old  American  Company  who  made  their  first  appear- 
ance in  America  on  the  5th  of  September  1752  in  Williams- 
burg, Va.,  and  arrived  in  New  York  in  June  1753.  A  new 
theatre  was  built  for  them  upon  the  site  of  the  old  one  in 
Nassau  Street  and  their  first  season  lasted  from  September 
1753  until  March  1754,  when  they  left  New  York  for  four 
years,  and,  upon  their  return  in  December  1758,  erected  a  new 
building  on  Cruger's  Wharf  near  Old  Slip,  the  Nassau  Street 
theatre  having  given  place  to  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
After  performing  from  December  1758  until  February  1759, 
this  company  was  again  absent  from  New  York  until  August 
1 761  when  a  new  theatre  was  built  on  the  south  side  of  Beek- 


Amusements. 


167 


man  Street  east  of  Nassau  Street,  in  which  they  performed 
from  November  1761  until  April  1762  ;  but  before  their  next 
return  in  1767  this  building  had  been  destroyed  during  the 
excitement  resulting  from  the  Stamp  Act,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1767  another  building  was  erected  which  was  used  as  a  theatre 
for  thirty  years.  It  was  situated  on  the  north  side  of  John 
Street  about  half  way  between  Broadway  and  Nassau  Street, 
standing  about  sixty  feet  back  from  the  street,  the  entrance 
being  through  a  rough  wooden  covered-way.  The  building 
was  constructed  principally  of  wood,  was  painted  red,  and 
contained  a  pit,  two  rows  of  boxes  and  a  gallery,  the  value  of 
tickets  to  an  audience  which  filled  the  house  being  eight  hun- 
dred dollars.  From  the  date  of  its  opening,  December  7th 
1767,  the  John  Street  Theatre  was  the  only  theatre  in  the 
city  until  the  13th  of  January  1798  when  the  last  performance 
was  given  in  it,  its  successor  being  the  Old  Park  Theatre 
which  was  opened  on  the  29th  of  January  1798.  The  Old 
American  Company  played  in  the  John  Street  Theatre  at  in- 
tervals until  the  end  of  the  year  1774  and  in  February  1775 
departed  to  Jamaica  owing  to  a  recommendation  by  Congress 
on  October  24th  1774  that  public  amusements  should  cease  on 
account  of  the  critical  condition  of  public  affairs.  During  the 
British  occupation  of  the  city  the  British  officers  amused 
themselves  with  theatrical  entertainments  in  the  same  build- 
ing, which  was  then  called  the  Theatre  Royal,  and  the  next 
appearance  of  The  Old  American  Company  in  New  York  was 
in  September  1785  when  the  theatre  was  opened  for  a  "  Moral 
Lecture,"  that  term  probably  being  used  to  avoid  objections 
to  a  theatrical  entertainment.  On  the  23rd  of  September 
1785,  however,  a  regular  theatrical  season  was  opened  by  a 
portion  of  the  company  and  in  spite  of  opposition  by  the 
Common  Council,  and  virulent  newspaper  attacks,  the  theatre 
became  a  firmly  rooted  amusement  in  New  York.  In  1789 
the  Old  American  Company  was  under  the  management  of 
Lewis  Hallam,  the  younger,  and  John  Henry.  It  had  under- 
gone many  changes  in  membership  since  its  first  arrival  in 
America  and  of  those  who  had  appeared  in  Williamsburg  in 
1752  Lewis  Hallam  was  the  sole  representative.    Born  in  Lon- 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


don  in  1740  he  had  made  his  first  appearance  on  the  stage  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years,  at  the  company's  first  performance  in 
America  and,  although  as  the  servant  of  Portia  in  the  Mer- 
chant of  Venice  he  had  but  one  line  to  repeat,  his  courage 
had  failed  him  and  bursting  into  tears  he  had  left  the  stage 
without  uttering  a  word.  He  had  first  appeared  in  New  York 
at  the  Nassau  Street  Theatre  on  the  17th  of  September  1753, 
and  from  1758  until  1774  he  was  without  a  rival  in  America. 
He  was  a  man  of  middle  stature,  slender  and  straight,  and 
took  all  parts  from  tragedy  to  that  of  Harlequin  in  panto- 
mime, in  which  his  activity  was  greatly  admired.  A  scar 
near  one  of  his  eyes,  received  while  fencing,  slightly  marred 
the  expression  of  his  face  but  does  not  seem  to  have  seriously 
interfered  with  the  facial  requirements  of  his  calling,  and  his 
acting  proved  acceptable  to  American  audiences  for  fifty  years. 
He  became  manager  of  the  company  during  the  Revolution- 
ary period  and  died  in  Philadelphia  on  the  1st  of  November 
1808  having  retired  from  the  stage  in  1806.  His  partner 
John  Henry  was  born  in  Dublin  and  is  said  to  have  appeared 
at  Drury  Lane  Theatre  in  London  in  1762  without  success. 
His  first  appearance  in  America  was  in  Philadelphia,  October 
6th  1767,  the  advertisement  stating  that  he  came  from  the 
theatre  in  Jamaica.  He  first  appeared  in  New  York  at  the 
John  Street  Theatre,  December  7th  1767,  and  after  the  Revo- 
lution appears  as  co-manager  with  Hallam.  He  is  described 
as  a  handsome  man,  six  feet  in  height,  and  excellent  in  Irish 
characters  and  in  that  of  Othello,  in  which  he  appeared  as  a 
negro  with  woolly  hair  clad  in  the  uniform  of  a  British  officer. 
He  was  a  martyr  to  the  gout  and  for  that  reason  kept  a  one- 
horse  carriage  driven  by  a  negro  boy  upon  which  were  emblaz- 
oned two  crutches  with  the  motto  "  This  or  These."  His 
power  as  an  actor  was  probably  accurately  described  by  Hal- 
lam when  he  said  that  Henry  was  an  excellent  amateur  actor. 
He  remained  in  partnership  with  Hallam  until  1794  when 
they  quarreled  and  Henry  and  his  wife  withdrew  from  the 
stage.  He  died,  April  25th  1795,  while  on  a  journey  to 
Rhode  Island  in  a  coasting  vessel.  The  other  members  of 
the  company  were  Mr.  Owen  Morris,  Mr.  Stephen  Wools, 


Amusements. 


169 


Mr.  Thomas  Wignell,  Mr.  Harper,  Mr.  Charles  Biddle,  Mr. 
Lake,  Mr.  Heard,  Mr.  Gay,  Mr.  Ryan,  Mr.  John  Durang, 
Mrs.  Henry,  Mrs.  Morris,  Mrs.  Harper,  Miss  Tuke,  Mrs. 
Williamson,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  and  Mrs.  Durang.  Of  these 
Morris,  Wignell,  and  Wools  were  joint  proprietors  of  the  com- 
pany with  Hallam  and  Henry,  the  others  receiving  salaries 
from  the  proprietors.  Mr.  Morris  had  probably  first  appeared 
in  New  York  in  1758  and  was  favorably  received  in  the  parts 
of  old  men  which  he  is  said  to  have  acted  until  the  natural 
infirmities  of  old  age  gave  the  appearance  of  an  excellent  imi- 
tation. In  1788  he  was  a  small,  shrivelled  old  man  with  a 
weak  voice.  He  left  the  American  Company  in  1 791  to  join 
those  who  built  the  Old  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  died  in  1809,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  Mr.  Wools,  who  was  born  in  Bath,  England,  in  1729, 
first  appeared  in  America  in  Philadelphia  on  the  21st  of  Nov- 
ember 1766  and  appeared  in  New  York  for  the  first  time  in 
1767.  He  was  the  chief  singer  in  the  company  and  is  said  to 
have  pursued  that  vocation  until  long  after  he  had  ceased  to 
possess  the  requisites  for  it.  He  died  in  New  York  on  the 
14th  of  June  1799.  Mr.  Wignell,  who  was  Hallam's  cousin, 
came  to  New  York  from  London  in  1774  and  being  informed 
on  the  day  after  his  arrival  that  Congress  had  recommended 
the  cessation  of  public  amusements,  departed  to  Jamaica  and 
probably  made  his  first  appearance  in  New  York  in  the  John 
Street  Theatre  on  the  12th  of  December  1785.  In  1789  he 
became  a  member  of  the  St.  George's  Society.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  a  short,  blue-eyed  man  with  an  athletic  figure  and 
remarkably  small  feet.  After  performing  humorous  parts 
with  the  American  Company  until  1791  he  left  it  to  become 
manager  of  the  Old  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  died  in  1803.  Mr.  Harper,  who  was  born  on  the 
Island  of  Jamaica,  first  appeared  in  New  York  in  November 
1785  and  was  not  remarkable  as  an  actor.  He  died  in  18 13, 
having  appeared  in  New  York  for  the  last  time  in  1805. 
Mr.  John  Durang  was  a  native  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  who  attained 
popularity  as  the  dancer  of  the  company  and  died  in  Phila- 
delphia in  March  1822  aged  fifty-four  years.    The  other  male 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


members  of  the  company  were  actors  of  the  poorest  descrip- 
tion. Mr.  Biddle  and  Mr.  Lake  had  first  appeared  in  New 
York  in  1785  ;  Mr.  Ryan,  the  prompter,  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  in  1789  was  supporting  an  aged  father  and  mother 
from  his  salary ;  and  Mr.  Heard  was  confined  to  his  bed  by 
illness  for  a  number  of  months  in  that  year  and  therefore  did 
not  take  a  great  part  in  the  season's  performances.  He  left 
the  American  Company  in  1793.  Mr.  Biddle  died  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  on  the  27th  of  November  1790.  Of  the  female 
members  of  the  company,  Mrs.  Henry  was  the  greatest  favor- 
ite with  the  public.  She  was  the  youngest  of  three  sisters, 
Ann,  Fanny,  and  Maria  Storer,  all  of  whom  made  their  first 
appearance  on  the  American  stage  in  Philadelphia  in  1767 
and  with  all  of*  whom  Mr.  Henry  lived  in  matrimonial  alli- 
ance of  more  or  less  irregularity.  She  is  described  as  "  a  per- 
fect fairy  in  person  "  who  wore  such  enormous  hoops  that 
upon  her  coming  to  the  theatre  in  full  dress  Mr.  Henry  was 
obliged  to  slide  her  out  of  the  carriage  sidewise  and  then  carry 
her  in  his  arms  to  the  stage  door.  She  is  said  to  have  been 
the  best  singer  who  appeared  in  New  York  before  1792  but  to 
have  been  rather  small  for  tragedy  parts  and  to  have  caused 
frequent  changes  of  programme  through  her  silliness  and  ca- 
price. She  died  in  Philadelphia  soon  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Henry.  Mrs.  Morris,  who  was  the  rival  of  Mrs.  Henry  for 
public  favor,  was  tall  and  well-formed  and  made  a  fine  appear- 
ance in  both  tragedy  and  comedy.  It  is  said,  however,  that 
"  her  enunciation  was  very  imperfect  and  her  education  still 
worse,"  while  her  poor  memory  made  the  prompter's  services 
frequently  necessary.  She  left  the  Old  American  Company 
with  her  husband  in  1 791  and  died  in  Philadelphia  about  the 
year  1825  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  being  the  last  sur- 
vivor of  the  American  actors  who  had  appeared  before  the 
Revolution.  Mrs.  Harper  was  without  personal  beauty  but 
acted  the  parts  of  old  women  acceptably.  She  first  appeared 
in  New  York  with  her  husband  in  1785  and  probably  died  in 
October  1791.  Miss  Tuke  was  one  of  two  actresses  of  that 
name,  of  American  birth,  who  apparently  made  their  first  ap- 
pearance in  November  1785.    Miss  Sarah  Tuke  died  in  Ches- 


A  musements. 


171 


ter,  Pa.,  in  the  last  week  of  August  1787,  and  the  Miss  Tuke 
here  mentioned  is  described  as  being  at  this  time  "  young, 
comely,  and  awkward."  She  afterwards  married  Mr.  Hallam, 
making  her  first  appearance  as  Mrs.  Hallam  in  1792,  and  is 
said  to  have  become  beautiful,  graceful,  and  an  actress  of 
merit.  She  appeared  with  her  husband  in  New  York  until 
1806  when  both  retired  from  the  stage.  Miss  or  Mrs.  Durang 
acted  small  parts  and  joined  in  dancing  with  Mr.  Durang. 
Mrs.  Hamilton  and  Mrs.  Williamson  both  apparently  made 
their  first  appearance  in  New  York  in  1789.  The  former  left 
the  company  in  1795  and  is  said  to  have  died  in  Albany  in 
November  1834,  and  the  latter  did  not  appear  on  the  New 
York  stage  for  any  great  length  of  time. 

On  the  28th  of  March  1789  Hallam  and  Henry  advertised 
that  the  theatre  would  be  open  on  Easter  Monday,  and  on  the 
13th  of  April  it  was  announced  that  the  first  performance 
would  be  given  the  next  evening.  Tickets  were  to  be  obtained 
of  Mr.  Philips  at  the  theatre  office  from  10  to  12  A.M.  and  on 
days  of  performance  from  three  to  five  P.M.,  and  also  at 
Gaine's  bookstore,  the  Sign  of  the  Bible,  on  Hanover  Square. 
Performances  were  given  three  times  a  week,  the  doors  being 
opened  at  six  or  half  past  six  o'clock,  and  the  curtain  rising  at 
seven  o'clock.  To  avoid  confusion  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
requested  to  order  their  servants  to  take  up  and  set  down  with 
their  horses'  heads  to  the  East  River,  and  the  old  formula 
"  Vivant  Rex  et  Regina  "  with  which  theatrical  advertisements 
ended  previous  to  the  Revolution  was  now  supplanted  by 
"  Vivat  Respublica."  The  price  of  admission  was  for  boxes 
8s.,  pit  6s.,  and  gallery  4s.,  being  higher  than  that  charged 
in  Philadelphia  where  boxes  were  7s.  6d.,  pit  5s.,  and  gallery 
3s.  9d. 

On  the  20th  of  April  it  was  announced  that  the  theatre 
would  be  closed  for  a  time  owing  to  the  illness  of  several  of 
the  actors,  and  although  on  the  4th  of  May  it  was  re-opened, 
on  the  1 8th  of  May  the  managers  apologized  for  a  disappoint- 
ment in  two  previous  performances  owing  to  the  illness  of  four 
actors  including  Mrs.  Henry.  The  performances  then  con- 
tinued until  the  12th  of  June  when  the  building  was  closed 


172 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


for  repairs,  one  of  the  improvements  being  the  introduction  of 
ventilators.  Being  re-opened  on  the  22nd  of  June,  perform- 
ances were  given  in  the  improved  building  until  the  8th  of 
July  when  it  was  announced  that  it  would  be  closed  until  the 
17th  of  August  on  account  of  the  warm  weather  ;  but  the  re- 
opening did  not  take  place  until  the  7th  of  September.  From 
that  date  the  performances  were  given,  with  occasional  inter- 
mission due  to  the  jealousies  and  personal  encounters  of  the 
actors,  until  the  15th  of  December,  when,  after  one  "Last 
Night  "  on  the  9th,  and  one  "  Positively  Last  Night "  on  the 
nth  the  season  closed.  From  the  14th  of  April  to  the  15th 
of  December  the  managers  advertised  61  performances,  some 
of  which  never  took  place,  including  31  comedies,  6  tragedies, 
26  farces,  9  comic  operas  and  2  pantomimes,  by  more  than  35 
different  authors.    The  plays  were  as  follows  : 


April  14. 

The  Stratagem. 

Anon. 

True  Born  Irishman. 

Macklin. 

"  16. 

Earl  of  Essex. 

Brooke. 

Musical  Lady. 

Colman. 

"  18. 

Clandestine  Marriage. 

Garrick. 

High  Life  Below  Stairs. 

Townley. 

May  4. 

The  Wonder. 

Centlivre. 

Musical  Lady. 

Colman. 

"  6. 

School  for  Scandal. 

Sheridan. 

Poor  Soldier. 

O'Keefe. 

"  8. 

The  Brothers. 

Cumberland. 

The  Liar. 

Foote. 

"  11. 

School  for  Scandal. 

Sheridan. 

Poor  Soldier. 

O'Keefe. 

"  13- 

The  Rivals. 

Sheridan. 

The  Ghost. 

Anon. 

"  15. 

Careless  Husband. 

COLLEY  ClBBER. 

Padlock. 

BlCKERSTAFF. 

"  16. 

Postponed. 

"  18. 

Postponed. 

"  20. 

Roman  Father. 

Whitehead. 

The  Liar. 

Foote. 

"  22. 

The  Brothers. 

Cumberland. 

Miss  in  her  Teens. 

Garrick. 

"  25. 

Clandestine  Marriage. 

Garrick. 

Cross  Purposes. 

O'Brien. 

Amusements. 


173 


May  27. 

She  Stoops  to  Conquer. 

Goldsmith. 

Widow's  Vow. 

Inchbald. 

"  29. 

The  Gamester. 

Moore. 

The  Madcap. 

Fielding. 

"  30. 

George  Barnwell. 

Lillo. 

Poor  Soldier. 

O'Keefe. 

June  r. 

West  Indian. 

Cumberland. 

Mayor  of  Garret. 

Foote. 

tl  2. 

Fashionable  Lover. 

Cumberland. 

Register  Office. 

Reed. 

M  4- 

The  Heiress. 

Burgoyne. 

Rosina  or  The  Reapers. 

Mrs.  Brooke. 

M  5- 

Clandestine  Marriage. 

Garrick. 

The  Citizen. 

Murphy. 

"  8. 

Richard  III. 

Shakespeare. 

True  Born  Irishman. 

Macklin. 

C1  10. 

The  Contrast. 

Tyler. 

Widow's  Vow. 

Inchbald. 

"  12. 

The  Deserter. 

John  Henry. 

Who's  the  Dupe. 

Cowley. 

"  22. 

He  would  be  a  Soldier. 

Pillon. 

Rosina  or  the  Reapers. 

Mrs.  Brooke. 

"  26. 

The  Duenna. 

Sheridan. 

Robinson  Crusoe. 

Sheridan. 

"  29. 

The  Choleric  Man. 

Cumberland. 

Robinson  Crusoe. 

Sheridan. 

July  1. 

He  would  be  a  Soldier. 

Pillon. 

Who's  the  Dupe. 

Cowley. 

"  6. 

The  Deserter. 

John  Henry. 

Inkle  and  Yarico. 

Colman. 

Sept.  7. 

The  Father. 

DUNLAP. 

Who's  the  Dupe. 

Cowley. 

"  9- 

The  Father. 

Dunlap. 

Like  Master,  Like  Man. 

O'Keefe. 

"  11. 

The  Father. 

Dunlap. 

High  Life  Below  Stairs. 

Townley. 

"  14. 

Belle's  Stratagem. 

Cowley. 

Inkle  and  Yarico. 

Colman. 

"  16. 

The  Father. 

Dunlap. 

Catherine  and  Petruchio. 

Garrick. 

m  at. 

The  Wonder. 

Centlivre. 

The  Old  Maid. 

Murphy. 

"  24. 

English  Merchant. 

Colman. 

The  Dead  Alive. 

O'Keefe. 

174  New  York  City  in  1789. 

Sept.  28.      A  Word  to  the  Wise. 
Poor  Soldier. 
Oct.  1.      All  in  the  Wrong. 

Poor  Paddy's  Whole  History. 
All's  Well  that  Ends  Well. 
Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 
Barataria. 
The  Drummer. 
Agreeable  Surprise. 
The  Shipwreck. 
School  for  Scandal. 
The  Critic. 
Duplicity. 
Cheats  of  Scapin. 
Postponed. 
Gustavus  Vasa. 
The  Apprentice. 
The  Tempest. 
Love  in  a  Camp. 
School  for  Wives. 
Fair  American. 
Provoked  Husband. 
Fair  American. 
Maid  of  the  Mill. 
Half  an  Hour  after  Supper. 
Fair  American. 
School  for  Wives. 
The  Invasion. 
The  Jealous  Wife. 
Wapping  Landlady. 
The  Apprentice. 
Les  Ombres  Chinoises. 
The  Miser. 
The  Air-Balloon. 
Les  Ombres  Italiennes. 
The  Toy. 
The  Critic. 
Darby's  Return. 
Postponed. 
Postponed. 
30.      Cymon  and  Sylvia. 
Prisoner  at  Large. 
Dec.  2.  Postponed. 
"    4.  Postponed. 


"  5- 
"  8. 

"  12. 

"  19. 

"  22. 
"  26. 

"  30. 
Nov.  3. 

"  5- 
"  9. 

"  13. 
"  16. 

"  19. 
"  24. 


"  27. 

"  28. 
it 


Kelly. 
O'Keefe. 
Murphy. 
Anon. 

John  Henry. 

Shakespeare. 

Pillon. 

Addison. 

O'Keefe. 

Anon. 

Sheridan. 

Sheridan. 

Holcroft. 

Otway. 

Brooke. 

Murphy. 

Shakespeare. 

O'Keefe. 

Kelly. 

Pillon. 

Van  Brugh. 

Pillon. 

Bickerstaff. 

Anon. 

Pillon. 

Kelly. 

Pillon. 

Colman. 

Anon. 

Murphy. 

Anon. 

Fielding. 

Pillon. 

Anon. 

O'Keefe. 

Sheridan. 

DUNLAP. 


Garrick. 
O'Keefe. 


Amusements. 


175 


Dec.  7.     The  Toy. 

Man  and  Wife. 
"    9.      English  Merchant. 

Prisoner  at  Large. 
"  II.      The  Busy  Body. 

Robinson  Crusoe. 


O'Keefe. 

COLMAN. 
COLMAN. 

O'Keefe. 


"  15.     The  Heiress. 
The  Miser. 
Darby's  Return. 


Centlivre. 
Sheridan. 
Burgoyne. 


Fielding, 
Dunlap. 


In  addition  to  these  plays,  a  monody  was  delivered  on  two 
occasions  in  "  Eulogium  of  the  American  Chiefs  who  fell  dur- 
ing the  War ;  "  at  Mrs.  Morris'  benefit  an  entertainment  was 
given  entitled  an  "  Exhibition  of  Pictures  or  the  World  as  it 
Goes,"  consisting  of  humorous  and  satirical  sketches  of  char- 
acters by  G.  A.  Stevens,  Foote,  Pillon,  and  other  authors  ;  Mr. 
Durang  generally  danced  a  hornpipe  between  the  play  and 
farce  of  which  the  performance  consisted  ;  and  at  Mr.  Wools' 
first  benefit  a  Masonic  Anthem  was  sung  by  brothers  Wools 
and  Harper.  The  greater  number  of  the  plays  produced  had 
been  performed  in  New  York  in  previous  years,  but  several  of 
them  were  new  in  the  city,  while  others  were  performed  this 
season  for  the  first  time  in  America.  Those  which  were  new 
in  New  York  were  The  Careless  Husband,  Who's  the  Dupe, 
The  Choleric  Man,  Inkle  and  Yarico,  Duplicity,  Gustavus 
Vasa,  The  Apprentice,  The  Fair  American,  The  Miser,  and 
the  Air  Balloon.  Those  which  were  performed  for  the  first 
time  in  America  were  He  would  be  a  Soldier,  The  Father, 
The  Dead  Alive,  The  Critic,  The  Toy,  and  Darby's  Return. 
Forty-six  of  the  plays  were  acted  but  once  during  the  season, 
twenty-one  of  them  were  acted  twice,  while  School  for 
Scandal,  George  Barnwell,  Who's  the  Dupe,  The  Apprentice, 
and  The  Fair  American  were  acted  three  times,  and  The  Poor 
Soldier  and  The  Father  were  honored  with  four  performances. 
The  latter  was  received  with  especial  interest  as  the  production 
of  an  American  author,  who  was  honored  with  an  "  Author's 
Night"  on  the  nth  of  September  when  the  play  was  given 
for  the  second  time.  The  first  play  by  an  American  author 
ever  acted  by  a  regular  company  of  comedians  was  The 


176 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Prince  of  Parthia,  a  tragedy  written  in  1759  by  Thomas  God- 
frey, a  native  of  Philadelphia,  and  advertised  for  performance 
in  that  city  by  the  American  Company  on  the  24th  of  April 
1767.  The  next  American  play  was  The  Contrast,  a  comedy 
written  by  Royal  Tyler,  the  first  performance  of  which  was 
given  in  New  York  on  the  16th  of  April  1786,  while  a  farce, 
by  the  same  author,  entitled  May  Day  in  Town  was  per- 
formed for  the  first  time  in  the  John  Street  Theatre  on  the 
19th  of  May  1787.  The  Father  was  therefore  the  fourth 
American  play  to  be  acted  by  a  regular  theatrical  company, 
and  on  the  26th  of  August  1789  the  Daily  Gazette  contained 
the  following  announcement :  "  The  town  is,  at  present,  in  very 
great  expectation  of  seeing  a  comedy,  now  in  rehearsal,  which 
is  the  production  of  a  gentleman  in  this  place,  much  cele- 
brated for  his  wit  and  humour;  besides  his  great  ability  in  the 
Dramatick,  he  has  a  peculiar  talent  in  the  Lyrick  way  of  writ- 
ing, and  that  in  a  manner  wholly  new  and  unknown.  As  soon 
as  three  hundred  Shandean  subscribers  are  obtained,  the  work 
will  be  put  to  the  press."  This  talented  author  was  William 
Dunlap,  the  historian  of  the  American  Theatre  and  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  artist,  theatrical  manager,  and  the  author 
of  forty-nine  published  plays,  the  second  of  which,  a  farce  en- 
titled Darby's  Return,  was  performed  for  the  first  in  New 
York  at  Mr.  Wignell's  benefit  on  the  24th  of  November  1789. 
The  Father  appeared  in  printed  form  as  acted,  on  the  14th  of 
September  1789,  price  2s.  6d.,  and  Darby's  Return  appeared 
in  print  on  the  3rd  of  December  1789.  All  of  these  American 
plays  were  of  the  poorest  quality,  but  Darby's  Return  has  the 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  few  things  that  ever  caused 
George  Washington  to  laugh.  He  was  present  at  its  first 
performance,  and,  according  to  the  author's  account,  after  some 
evident  embarrassment  at  references  to  himself  in  the  farce, 
Washington  "  indulged  in  that  which  was  with  him  extremely 
rare,  a  hearty  laugh."  So  "extremely  rare"  was  this  indul- 
gence with  Washington  that  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Advertiser 
made  especial  mention  of  the  incident,  as  follows:  "  Our  be- 
loved Ruler  seemed  to  unbend  and  for  the  moment  give  him- 
self to  the  pleasures  arising  from  the  gratifications  of  the  two 


Amusements. 


most  noble  organs  of  sense,  the  Eye  and  the  Ear."  The  news- 
paper dramatic  criticism  of  the  time  is  fairly  represented  by 
the  description  of  The  Deserter  as  an  "  elegant,  tender,  senti- 
mental and  well  conducted  Dramatic  Entertainment,"  while 
Darby's  Return  was  considered  to  be  "replete  with  the  happi- 
est illusions  to  interesting  events  and  very  delicately  turned 
compliments." 

The  Deserter  or  School  for  Soldiers  seems  to  have  aroused 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  gallery  to  a  high  pitch.  A  newspaper 
account  of  the  performance  given  on  the  1 2th  of  June  reads 
as  follows  :  "  A  more  profound  attention  was  never  known  to 
be  given  to  any  piece  through  the  whole  performance.  A 
circumstance  which  indicated  the  real  interest  which  the  gal- 
lery took  in  the  fate  of  the  Deserter  ought  not  to  be  omitted  : 
as  soon  as  the  soldiers  on  the  stage  demonstrated  their  joy,  by 
huzzaing,  for  the  pardon  which  was  announced  to  have  been 
obtained  from  the  late  Commander  in  Chief  for  the  Deserter, 
the  audience  in  the  gallery  spontaneously  gave  the  same  proof 
of  sensibility  and  satisfaction.''  The  play  of  Gustavus  Vasa, 
however,  which  was  expected  to  give  especial  satisfaction  to 
Americans  because  of  its  having  been  suppressed  in  England 
on  account  of  its  seditious  sentiments,  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  received  with  great  favor.  A  newspaper  rhymster  made 
the  following  criticism  of  its  performance,  which  probably 
gives  a  correct  estimate  of  the  acting  of  the  Old  American 
Company  at  this  time  : 

"  If  alone  to  the  SOCK  the  Theatrical  Troop 
Would  their  poor  exhibitions  confine, 
Some  success  in  attempts  to  amuse,  they  might  hope — 
For  in  that,  if  at  all,  they  may  shine. 

But  when  in  the  buskin  they  vainly  attempt 

To  raise  our  compassion  and  fear, 
Our  mirth  they  excite,  nor  are  free  from  contempt — 

For  as  ranting  Buffoons  they  appear. 

Tho'  Vasa  the  Patriot  applause  may  command, 

And  his  Virtue  Americans  please, 
Yet  when  coldly  portrayed  by  this  Theatric  Band, 

The  reverse  of  applause  scorn  decrees." 

12 


i78 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


The  most  successful  performances  were,  of  course,  those 
which  were  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  President,  his 
proposed  attendance  at  the  theatre  being  duly  advertised  in 
the  newspapers.  The  first  of  these  occasions  was  on  the  nth 
of  May,  when  the  President,  Vice-President,  Governor,  and 
many  members  of  Congress  witnessed  the  performance  of 
School  for  Scandal  and  the  Poor  Soldier,  the  boxes  of  Wash- 
ington and  Adams  being  decorated  with  the  Arms  of  the 
United  States  and  that  of  Governor  Clinton  with  the  State 
Arms.  On  the  5th  of  June  the  President  and  his  wife,  Rob- 
ert Morris  and  Mrs.  Morris,  General  and  Mrs.  Knox,  Baron 
Steuben  and  other  distinguished  persons  attended  the  perform- 
ance of  The  Clandestine  Marriage  and  upon  this  occasion 
"  the  reiterated  plaudits  bestowed  upon  the  various  parts  of 
the  performance  designated  the  merits  of  the  actors  ; — and  it 
is  but  just  to  say  that,  animated  by  the  countenance  of  such 
illustrious  auditors,  the  characters  were  supported  with  great 
spirit  and  propriety.  Mrs.  Henry  and  Mrs.  Morris  played 
with  their  usual  naivete  and  uncommon  animation."  On  the 
24th  of  November — the  memorable  occasion  when  Washing- 
ton laughed — the  audience  rose  at  the  President's  appearance 
and  greeted  him  with  the  warmest  acclamations,  "the  genuine 
effusion  of  the  hearts  of  Freemen."  At  this  time  Washing- 
ton made  the  following  entry  in  his  diary :  "Went  to  the  play 
in  the  evening, — sent  tickets  to  the  following  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen and  invited  them  to  seats  in  my  box,  viz.  : — Mrs. 
Adams,  (lady  of  the  Vice-President,)  Genl.  Schuyler  and  lady, 
Mr.  King  and  lady,  Majr.  Butler  and  lady,  Col.  Hamilton 
and  lady,  Mrs.  Green, — all  of  whom  accepted  and  came,  ex- 
cept Mrs.  Butler,  who  was  indisposed."  His  last  visit  to  the 
theatre  in  1789  was  at  Mr.  Henry's  benefit  on  the  30th  of  No- 
vember when  Cymon  and  Sylvia,  a  monody  by  Mrs.  Henry 
on  the  American  Chiefs  who  fell  during  the  Revolution,  and 
O'Keefe's  comedy  The  Prisoner  at  Large,  were  presented  be- 
fore the  most  brilliant  and  numerous  audience  which  had 
been  seen  for  several  years.  Upon  this  occasion  Washington 
presented  tickets  to  Dr.  Johnson  and  lady,  Mr.  Dalton  and 
lady,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  and  lady,  Secre- 


Amusements. 


179 


tary  of  War  and  lady,  Baron  de  Steuben  and  Mrs.  Green. 
Of  the  orchestra  of  the  theatre,  no  mention  is  made  in  the  ad- 
vertisements, but  the  music  was  probably  acceptable  to  the 
audience,  for  in  1786  complaint  was  made  that  it  did  not  con- 
tinue through  the  whole  of  the  half  hour  required  for  the 
preparation  of  the  farce  with  which  the  performance  ended. 
It  is  said  that  the  leader  of  the  orchestra  was  a  German  by 
the  name  of  Phila,  who  composed  the  "  President's  March  " 
from  which  the  tune  of  "  Hail  Columbia  "  was  afterwards  de- 
veloped. The  stage  scenery  was  at  times  deemed  worthy  of 
especial  mention.  Thus,  on  June  26th  it  was  advertised  that 
the  pantomime  of  Robinson  Crusoe  would  be  presented  with 
"  the  most  brilliant  display  of  Scenery  ever  exhibited  in  the 
Western  World,"  as  described  in  Capt.  Cook's  Voyages  to 
Otaheite,  New  Zealand,  etc.,  with  the  exception  of  the  scene 
of  the  Falls  of  the  Passaic.  A  description  of  this  latter  scene 
in  the  Daily  Advertiser  of  July  3rd  1789  states  that  the  stage 
was  darkened  and  then  by  a  gradually  increasing  light  the 
Genius  of  Columbia  rose  from  the  water  and  at  a  motion  of 
his  wand  the  new  Federal  Hall  appeared  and  ascended  to  the 
clouds  supported  by  the  Temple  of  Concord  in  the  form  of  a 
superb  transparency  with  emblematic  devices,  the  pillars  sup- 
porting it  being  marked  Wisdom,  Fortitude,  Virtue,  and  Jus- 
tice. The  name  of  the  painter  of  this  triumph  of  scenic  art 
was  unfortunately  omitted.  An  attempt  at  realism  was  also 
made  in  the  performance  of  the  Shipwreck  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  u  real  balloon."  The  course  of  the  American  Com- 
pany, however,  during  the  season  of  1789  was  not  altogether 
smooth.  There  had  always  been  more  or  less  opposition  to 
the  theatre  in  America  and  this  season  like  most  of  the  previ- 
ous ones  was  marked  by  bitter  warfare  in  the  newspapers  be- 
tween the  supporters  and  opponents  of  theatrical  entertain- 
ments. In  October  1789  this  conflict  was  renewed  by  the 
publication  of  several  articles  by  "  Rusticus  "  in  favor  of  the 
theatre.  "  Theron "  objected  to  these  and  propounded 
twenty-seven  queries  to  "  Rusticus,"  the  last  of  which  was  : 
"  Would  the  sound  of  the  Archangel's  trumpet  or  any  sum- 
mons to  the  invisible  world  be  welcome  to  Rusticus  or  any  ad- 


1 86 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


mirer  of  the  stage,  should  that  summons  find  him  in  the  gal- 
lery, pit,  or  box."  Rusticus,  of  course,  answered  these 
queries  seriatim  and  stated  that  such  a  summons  "  would  not 
be  more  unwelcome  to  Rusticus  in  the  box,  pit,  or  gallery, 
than  elsewhere."  But  Rusticus  had  one  weak  point ; — he 
was  a  poet,  and  closed  his  reply  with  ; 

"  Theron  adieu  ;  no  more  in  holy  rage 
Do  thou  attempt  to  lash  the  perverse  age. 
For  know,  in  spite  of  all  that  thou  can'st  preach, 
The  Drama  soars  above  thy  sordid  reach." 

To  this  "  Theron  "  scathingly  replied  :  "  Surely  none  will 
suspect  me  of  adulation  when  I  declare  that  the  poetry  of 
Rusticus  exceeds  even  his  logic."  "  Rusticus,"  however,  re- 
turned to  the  combat  and  declared  that  Theron's  article  was 
a  mere  plagiarism  and  a  mangled  version  of  arguments  on  the 
same  subject  previously  published  by  Dr.  Witherspoon.  His 
parting  shot  at  "  Theron  "  was  : 

"  O  could  thy  baby  hands  resign  the  pen 
And  leave  a  subject  far  above  thy  ken, 
Some  meaner  theme  might  suit  thy  grovelling  soul 
Where  none  would  censure  or  thy  wit  controul." 

"  Vindex"  then  joined  in  the  fray,  denouncing  "  Theron  " 
as  a  "  religious  enthusiast,"  and  the  warfare  ended  by 
"  Theron  "  expressing  his  contempt  for  both  his  adversaries. 
More  dangerous,  however,  to  its  welfare  were  the  dissensions 
in  the  company  itself.  The  jealousies  between  the  actors 
seem  to  have  reached  their  climax  about  the  12th  of  October 
as  on  the  15th  of  that  month  Mr.  Henry  published  a  card 
stating  that  he  had  been  confined  to  his  bed  for  several  days 
by  severe  bruises  received  in  a  quarrel  "  unexpected,  unsought, 
and  most  maliciously  misrepresented."  The  clue  to  this  af- 
fair is  found  in  a  card  of  October  16th,  signed  "  Querist,"  dep- 
recating the  unmerited  censure  of  the  managers  for  a  disap- 
pointment in  School  for  Scandal  on  the  12th  and  laying  the 
blame  upon  Mr.  Harper  who  had  received  due  notice  that 
Mr.  Henry  was  too  ill  to  appear  that  night  and  should  there- 


Amusements. 


fore  have  changed  the  programme.  The  performance  on  the 
1 2th  of  October  had  been  for  Mrs.  Harper's  benefit  and  her 
husband  had  evidently  taken  revenge  for  a  disappointment  by- 
pommelling  the  manager.  On  the  18th  of  October,  however, 
the  benefits  were  resumed  and  on  the  24th  Mr.  Henry  pub- 
lished a  statement  that  the  quarrel  had  been  amicably  settled. 
But  this  statement  merely  brought  out  a  card  from  "  One  of 
the  Boxes  "  to  Mr.  Henry  to  the  effect  that  the  public  had  no 
interest  in  his  private  quarrels  but  were  disgusted  at  his  re- 
fusal to  act  through  personal  spite  toward  Mr.  Harper.  He 
also  thought  that  Mrs.  Henry  might  act  more  frequently  than 
she  did  to  entitle  her  to  a  benefit  and  that  she  should  act  in 
benefits  for  others  when  she  had  had  such  a  profitable  one  her- 
self ;  people  were  well-nigh  tired  of  old  plays  and  of  seeing 
indifferent  actresses  when  they  might  have  good  ones.  To 
this  Mr.  Henry  replied  that  he  had  not  appeared  because  he 
had  been  confined  to  his  bed,  and  that  Mrs.  Henry  would  act 
when  asked  to  do  so  by  the  other  actors,  which  had  happened 
but  once,  when  she  had  an  influenza  and  could  not  sing. 
Mrs.  Williamson's  benefit  was  announced  for  the  3rd  of  No- 
vember but  was  postponed  until  the  5th  and  her  play  changed 
because  of  Mr.  Harper's  severe  illness,  and  this  fact  caused 
the  publication  of  an  attack  upon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper  for 
disappointing  an  audience  and  injuring  a  helpless  woman  by 
their  caprice.  Finally,  a  wail  arose  on  the  13th  of  November 
from  another  actor  because  the  managers  would  not  allow  him 
to  be  assisted  at  his  benefit  by  a  Mrs.  Gardner,  who  was  not 
a  member  of  the  company,  and  because  he  was  likely  to  have 
no  benefit  at  all,  owing  to  the  departure  of  the  company  to 
Philadelphia.  He  took  his  revenge  by  announcing  that  Mrs. 
Gardner  was  far  superior  to  the  actresses  of  the  company,  ow- 
ing to  her  long  training  under  Garrick  and  Foote.  All  of  the 
actors,  however,  had  benefits  before  leaving  the  city.  The 
series  began  with  "  Mr.  Wools'  night,"  on  the  21st  of  Septem- 
ber, and  ended  on  the  15th  of  December.  Those  of  Mrs. 
Henry,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper,  Miss  Tuke,  and  Mrs.  Morris, 
were  either  pecuniarily  satisfactory  or  they  did  not  dare  to  ask 
for  another.    Messrs.  Heard  and  Ryan  had  one  together,  as 


182 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


did  Messrs.  Gay,  Durang,  and  Lake.  The  other  actors 
adopted  a  formula  stating  that  their  previous  benefit  had  been 
disappointing  to  their  friends,  and  that  they  had  therefore  de- 
cided, by  their  friends'  advice,  to  relinquish  the  emoluments 
of  that  performance  to  the  company  and  to  request  the  re- 
newed patronage  of  the  public.  Mr.  Wools  accordingly 
shared  a  second  benefit  with  Mrs.  Hamilton ;  Mrs.  William- 
son did  likewise  with  Mr.  Biddle;  and  Messrs.  Hallam, 
Henry,  and  Morris  each  had  two.  The  last  mention  of  the 
Old  American  Company  in  the  newspapers  of  1789  was  a  card 
from  "  Humanitas"  urging  them  to  give  a  performance  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor,  but  his  appeal  was  unheeded  although  in 
former  years  considerable  sums  had  been  raised  for  the  poor 
in  that  way. 

The  Mrs.  Gardner  whose  assistance  had  been  declined  by 
Hallam  and  Henry  had  made  her  first  appearance  on  the 
stage  on  the  1st  of  October  1763  at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre 
under  the  name  of  Miss  Cheney.  She  had  also  appeared  at 
the  Covent  Garden  and  Haymarket  Theatres  in  London  and 
is  said  to  have  acted  excellently  in  several  of  Foote's  plays. 
Her  arrival  in  New  York  was  announced  by  an  advertisement 
on  the  17th  of  November  1789  of  an  entertainment  "  rhetori- 
cal and  oratorical,"  at  the  City  Tavern  for  one  night  only,  en- 
titled Fashionable  Raillery  by  Mrs.  Gardner  from  the  Thea- 
tre Royal,  Covent  Garden,  performed  by  her  for  forty-seven 
nights  in  Dublin  and  with  equal  success  in  Jamaica  and 
Charleston.  The  performance  was  to  include  songs  and  to 
close  with  a  whimsical  afterpiece  entitled  The  Mad  Poet- 
ess. The  refusal  of  the  managers  of  the  American  Company 
to  accept  her  assistance  afforded  her  an  opportunity  to  air  her 
history  in  the  newspaper.  In  a  card  published  on  the  19th  of 
December  1789,  announcing  that  an  entertainment  was  to  be 
given  for  her  benefit,  she  stated  that  she  had  been  enticed 
from  Charleston  by  a  gentleman  who  promised  to  give  her 
charge  of  his  child  in  the  country  and,  (having  apparently 
learned  but  little  of  the  ways  of  the  world  during  her  twenty- 
six  years  experience  on  the  stage),  she  had  accepted  his  invi- 
tation only  to  be  robbed  and  deserted  by  him.    The  members 


Amusements. 


183 


of  the  American  Company  finally  paid  her  debt  for  board  and 
lodging:,  redeemed  her  clothes,  and  allowed  her  to  use  the 
theatre  for  one  night.  The  performance  for  her  benefit  was 
to  consist  of  "  Wits  Last  Shift  "  and  "  Bucks  have  at  ye  all," 
and  was  to  take  place  on  the  29th  of  December  but  was  post- 
poned to  the  following  evening  owing  to  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  and  *seems  to  have  received  no  further  notice  in 
the  newspapers. 

The  minor  public  amusements  of  the  year  were  not  nu- 
merous. In  January,  Mr.  Colles  announced  that  so  long  as  the 
sleighing  lasted  he  would  continue  his  electrical  experiments 
and  exhibition  of  curiosities  at  Halsey's  celebrated  tavern  in 
Harlem ;  but  no  description  was  given  of  the  curiosities.  The 
next  announcement  of  a  show  was  in  April,  when  Dr.  King, 
lately  from  South  America,  arrived  from  Charleston  with  a 
collection  of  natural  curiosities.  This  exhibition  was  opened 
at  No.  28  Wall  Street,  opposite  the  Coffee  House,  and  in- 
cluded "  a  Male  and  Female  of  the  surprising  species  of  the 
Ourang  Outang  or  the  Man  of  the  Woods  ;  the  Sloth,  which 
from  its  sluggish  disposition  will  grow  poor  from  travelling 
from  one  tree  to  another;  the  Baboon,  of  different  species 
and  of  a  most  singular  nature ;  Monkey,  Porcupine,  Ant- 
Bear,  Crocodile,  Lizard,  and  Sword  Fish  ;  Snakes  of  various 
kinds  and  very  extraordinary;  Tame  Tyger  and  Buffalo; 
Also  a  variety  of  Birds  of  different  sizes,  colour,  and  species.'* 
These  could  be  seen  from  10  A.M.  to  10  P.M.  for  the  price  of 
5s.  for  adults  and  2s.  6d.  for  children.  A  few  weeks  later  a 
picture  of  the  Wild  Man  of  the  Woods  appeared  in  the  Bos- 
ton newspapers  modestly  clad  in  a  girdle  of  fig-leaves.  In 
November  another  natural  curiosity  was  offered  for  sale  in  the 
shape  of  "  A  Moose  Deer,  of  the  male  kind,  lately  brought 
from  St.  John's,  N.  B. ;  only  18  months  old  and  fully  15 
hands  high  and  very  tame."  Of  a  different  kind  was  the  ex- 
hibition, in  July,  of  a  solar  microscope  at  the  house  of  Christo- 
pher Colles,  No.  3  on  the  Lower  Battery.  This  instrument 
was  said  to  be  justly  reckoned  one  of  the  greatest  improve- 
ments in  the  science  of  Optics,  and  magnified  the  skin  of  a 
spider's  leg  to  30  feet  in  length,  as  thick  as  a  man's  body  and 


1 84 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


covered  with  bristles  surprisingly  large.  It  magnified  a  com- 
mon louse  to  the  length  of  12  feet,  from  which  it  was  calcu- 
lated that  it  increased  the  bulk  644,972,544  times.  The  price 
of  admission  was  three  shillings  and  those  who  had  come  once 
were  admitted  free  upon  their  second  visit  provided  that  they 
brought  others  with  them.  On  the  10th  of  June  Mr.  Joseph 
Decker  published  a  broadside  to  the  effect  that  in  1785  he  had 
made  a  balloon  ascension  at  Bristol  and,  after  being  in  the  air 
half  an  hour,  had  descended  at  a  spot  23  miles  from  the  place 
of  ascent.  He  desired  to  favor  the  inhabitants  of  New  York 
with  a  similar  exhibition  and  solicited  subscriptions  of  8s, 
each  toward  the  construction  of  a  balloon  to  cost  one  hundred 
guineas,  his  own  remuneration  to  be  obtained  from  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  balloon  when  completed.  On  the  7th  of  August 
he  sent  up  from  the  Fort  a  balloon  24  feet  in  circumference 
which  descended  into  the  Harlem  River  nine  miles  from  the 
place  of  ascent.  This  was  followed  on  the  15th  by  one  30  feet 
in  circumference,  and,  on  the  12th  of  September,  Mr.  Decker 
announced  that  he  had  completed  a  large  balloon  100  feet  in 
circumference  in  which  he  himself  would  ascend  on  the  23d 
of  September  from  the  lot  bounded  by  Eagle,  Suffolk,  and 
Cellar  Streets,  near  the  race  ground.  This  balloon  was 
placed  upon  exhibition  at  No.  14  William  Street,  the  price  of 
admission  being  4s.,  but  Mr.  Decker  was  not  destined  to  as- 
cend in  it.  The  Packet  of  December  24th  states  that  two- 
thirds  of  the  city  assembled  on  the  23rd  to  see  the  great  bal- 
loon ascend  but  that,  according  to  Mr.  Decker's  statement,  it 
caught  fire  on  account  of  the  pressure  of  the  multitude  who 
broke  the  fence  by  which  it  was  surrounded.  Others  thought 
that  the  manager  purposely  set  it  on  fire,  this  opinion  finding 
expression  in  the  following  card,  which  appeared  in  the  Jour- 
nal :  "  Yesterday  at  4  o'clock  departed  in  a  blaze  the  much 
Celebrated  Balloon,  constructed  under  the  admired  abilities 
of  Mr.  Decker,  whose  eccentric  ingenuity  was  displayed  in  ac- 
quiring a  brilliant  sum  ;  which  perfectly  accorded  with  his 
N.  B.  that  he  should  leave  the  city  after  his  descent— into  the 
purses  of  the  generous  and  disappointed  spectators."  The 
same  Mr.  Decker  also  exhibited  at  No.  14  William  Street  a 


Amusements. 


i85 


Speaking  Figure  suspended  by  a  ribbon  from  the  centre  of  a 
beautiful  temple,  which  asked  questions  itself  and  answered 
with  delicacy  and  propriety  questions  addressed  to  it  either 
in  a  whisper  or  more  audible  tone.  In  the  same  room  there 
were  exhibited  a  variety  of  wax  figures,  a  small  paradox,  and 
an  alarm  against  house-breaking  and  fire,  the  show  being  open 
from  six  to  ten  P.M.  and  the  price  of  admission  2s.  for  adults 
and  is.  for  children.  Mr.  Decker  died  in  Lisbon  in  the  early 
part  of  1790.  A  more  extensive  wax-work  exhibition  was 
given  at  No.  74  Water  Street,  opposite  Crane's  wharf,  by  a 
Mr.  Bowen  who  came  with  a  letter  of  recommendation  signed 
by  an  ex-Governor,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  other  promi- 
nent citizens  of  North  Carolina.  In  this  exhibition  were 
"  The  President  of  the  United  States  sitting  under  a  canopy 
in  his  military  dress  and  over  the  head  of  his  Excellency  a 
fame  suspended  (also  in  wax)  crowning  him  with  a  wreath  of 
laurel  ;  the  King,  Queen,  and  Prince  of  Wales  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, habited  in  cloaths  which  were  presented  by  the  King ; 
The  Rt.  Reverend  Samuel  Provoost,  Bishop  of  New  York  ; 
The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Rodgers  of  New  York;  and  the  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Livingston  of  New  York  "  There  were  also  a  number 
of  edifying  biblical  scenes,  and  figures  so  constructed  as  to 
turn  their  heads,  open  and  shut  their  eyes,  and  perform  other 
feats  "  to  the  admiration  of  the  spectators."  This  exhibition 
was  open  from  6  to  10  P.M.  at  2s.  6d.  for  adults,  and  is.  for 
children,  and  was  probably  a  good  show  as  it  was  honored,  on 
the  17th  of  September,  by  a  visit  from  the  President,  Gen. 
Knox,  and  other  distinguished  persons.  Of  out-door  amuse- 
ments there  were  not  many  during  the  year.  There  was  a 
cricket  club  in  the  city,  and  on  the  8th  of  August  the  news- 
papers announced  that  bets  to  a  considerable  amount  would 
be  settled  by  a  few  shots  at  a  target  that  afternoon  in  a  field 
near  Mr.  Campbell's  on  the  Greenwich  Road ;  in  this  match, 
Capt.  McPherson  of  Philadelphia,  a  gentleman  with  but  one 
arm,  vanquished  his  competitor  Capt.  Stakes,  who,  at  a 
range  of  160  yards,  failed  to  hit  the  barn-door  on  which  the 
mark  was  placed.  An  event  of  greater  interest  was  a  boat- 
race  for  a  purse  of  fifteen  half-joes,  on  the  15th  of  August,  be- 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


tween  the  New  York  pilot-boat  York,  commanded  by  Mr. 
M.  Daniels,  and  the  Virginia  built  schooner  Union,  Captain 
Merryman,  belonging  in  Curacoa.  The  race  took  place  out- 
side of  the  Hook  in  a  light  breeze,  the  York  running  14 
leagues  in  five  hours  and  beating  her  rival  by  about  seven 
minutes.  Thirty  vessels  attended  the  race  and  nearly  ,£2000 
changed  hands  upon  the  result.  But  two  horse-races  were 
advertised  during  the  year,  the  first  of  which  was  to  take 
place  on  the  15th  of  September  on  Greenwich  Lane,  each 
horse  to  pay  one  dollar  entrance  fee  and  the  winner  to  receive 
an  elegant  saddle.  The  second  advertisement  was  that  of  the 
Jamaica  races  on  the  29th  and  30th  of  October.  On  the  29th 
there  was  to  be  a  race  for  £20^  open  to  all,  best  two  out  of 
three  two-mile  heats ;  20s.  entrance  for  each  horse ;  three 
year  olds  to  carry  six  stone  seven,  four  year  olds  seven  stone 
nine,  five  year  olds  eight  stone  twelve,  and  aged  nine  stone. 
On  the  30th,  the  winner  of  a  free-to-all  race  was  to  receive  a 
saddle,  bridle,  and  whip. 

The  public  lectures  of  the  season  seem  to  have  been  lim- 
ited to  one  delivered  at  Aaron  Aorson's  tavern  on  the  6th  of  Oc- 
tober by  "  a  man  more  than  30  years  an  iVtheist."  The  sub- 
ject of  the  lecture  was  "  The  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  "  and  its 
object  was  to  assist  two  poor  families  and  to  establish  a 
fund  for  the  purchase  of  wood  for  the  poor;  tickets  were 
to  be  obtained  of  all  the  Aldermen  for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar 
each. 

Music  seems  to  have  been  cultivated  in  the  city  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  as  appears  by  the  existence  of  The  Musical 
Society,  the  officers  of  which  were  George  Gilfert,  director, 
Henry  Will,  treasurer,  and  Robert  McGrath,  secretary.  This 
Society,  which  met  at  No.  29  John  Street,  gave  a  concert  in 
March  for  the  benefit  of  distressed  debtors  in  jail,  and  on  the 
1 8th  of  June  gave  a  second  one  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  Six 
other  concerts  were  given  between  the  22nd  of  September 
and  the  1st  of  December,  three  of  them  being  subscription 
concerts  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Reinagle  and  Mr. 
Henry  Capron,  music  teachers  in  the  city.  The  programme 
of  the  first  of  these  subscription  concerts,  which  took  place  on 


Amusements. 


187 


the  22nd  of  September,  probably  gives  a  fair  example  of  the 
musical  taste  of  that  time.    It  was  as  follows : 


Act  i  st. 

Overture. 
Song. 

Concerto,  Violoncello. 
Overture. 

Act  2nd. 

Overture. 
Song. 

Sonata,  Piano  Forte. 
Overture. 


GlORDANI. 

Mrs.  Sewell. 
Mr.  Capron. 
guglielmi. 

Stamitz. 
Mrs.  Sewell. 
Mr.  Reinagle. 

DlTTERS. 


After  the  first  act  a  chorus  was  given,  with  the  words  that 
were  sung  as  Washington  passed  the  bridge  at  Trenton  on 
the  Avay  to  his  inauguration,  to  music  composed  by  Mr. 
Reinagle.  In  the  other  concerts  of  this  series  a  Mr.  Wolf 
played  on  the  clarinet  and  there  were  given  overtures  com- 
posed by  Vanhall,  Ditters,  J.  Stamitz,  and  C.  Stamitz,  a  piano 
and  violin  duet  by  Mozart,  and  a  symphony  by  Goffec. 
After  the  music  there  was  dancing.  Mrs.  Anna  Maria  Sewell, 
who  had  retired  from  the  Old  American  Company  in  1788 
to  keep  a  young  ladies'  school,  also  gave  a  concert  on  the  31st 
of  October  in  which  the  same  performers  took  part.  The  last 
concert  of  the  season  was  given  on  the  1st  of  December  by 
Mr.  P.  A.  Van  Hagen,  formerly  Director  of  the  City  Concert 
at  Zutphen  and  then  a  music  teacher  at  No.  23  Ferry  Street, 
the  other  performers  being  Mr.  Van  Hagen,  jr.,  eight  years 
of  age,  and  Mr.  Frobel.  This  performance  included  a  solo, 
never  before  performed,  on  iron  nails  called  Violino  Harmon- 
ika.  The  price  of  admission  was  one  dollar  and  after  the 
concert  there  was  to  be  a  ball.  Mr.  Van  Hagen's  violin  play- 
ing had  aroused  great  enthusiasm  at  a  concert  which  he 
gave  on  the  10th  of  November  and  on  the  day  of  his  last  con- 
cert a  correspondent  of  the  Daily  Gazette  announced  that  he 
would  undertake  to  prove,  before  any  judge  who  had  taste 
enough  to  take  the  matter  into  consideration,  that  he  was  the 
first  master  of  music  who  had  ever  visited  America. 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


The  only  free  exhibition  announced  in  the  newspapers  in 
1789  failed  to  be  seen.  A  transit  of  Mercury  across  the  Sua 
was  duly  advertised  for  the  5th  of  November,  with  diagrams 
and  full  explanations,  but  owing  either  to  a  miscalculation  in 
the  time  or  the  poorness  of  their  telescopes  the  inhabitants 
of  New  York  saw  nothing  of  this  phenomenon. 


VI. 


Education.    Literature.    Art.  Newspapers. 


In  the  matter  of  educational  facilities  New  York,  even  as 
late  as  1789,  was  undoubtedly  less  advanced  than  New  Eng- 
land, a  fact  which  Brissot  de  Warville,  who  was  a  man  of 
great  literary  ability,  attributed  to  the  Dutch  indifference 
toward  letters.  Columbia  College  was  graduating  some  brill- 
iant young  men,  but,  owing  to  a  variety  of  causes  they  were 
few  in  number  as  compared  with  the  graduates  of  Yale  and 
Harvard,  while  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  bid  fair  to  out- 
strip the  New  York  institution.  The  college  had  been  estab- 
lished in  1754  amid  the  clash  of  ecclesiastical  arms,  aroused 
by  an  alleged  attempt  to  set  up  a  Church  of  England  institu- 
tion for  the  support  of  which  all  denominations  were  to  be 
taxed.  In  1746  the  raising  of  funds  for  the  encouragement  of 
education  had  been  begun  by  a  lottery,  and  in  175 1  when 
the  fund  amounted  to  £3443  it  was  vested  in  ten  trustees 
whose  denominational  affiliations  at  once  raised  a  protest. 
The  board  included  seven  Episcopalians,  two  Reformed 
Dutch  members,  and  one  Presbyterian,  William  Livingston, 
afterwards  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  who,  in  "  The  Indepen- 
dent Reflector,"  first  published  in  November  1752,  made  a 
fierce  attack  upon  the  proposal  to  grant  a  charter  to  a  college 
founded  for  the  benefit  of  a  denomination  who  were  in  the 
minority  in  the  community.  In  May  1754  Trinity  Church 
offered  land  for  the  college  upon  condition  that  the  president 
should  always  be  an  Episcopalian  and  that  the  Prayer-Book 
should  be  used  in  it,  and  the  trustees  of  the  fund  petitioned 
for  a  charter  upon  these  terms.  One  party  in  the  Dutch 
Church,  including  Dominies  Ritzema  and  De  Ronde,  then 
favored  this  project,  provided  that  the  Dutch  should  have  a 


190 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


theological  professorship  in  the  institution ;  and  the  Dutch 
members  of  Assembly  voted  for  the  charter,  which  was 
granted  by  the  Governor  on  the  31st  of  October  1754,  no 
mention,  however,  being  made  in  it  of  the  Dutch  professor- 
ship. Mr.  Livingston  then  renewed  his  opposition  in  a  series 
of  papers  entitled  "  The  Watch  Tower  "  which  appeared  in 
the  N.  Y.  Mercury  from  October  25th  1754  until  November 
17th  1755?  and  succeeded  in  raising  such  opposition  to  the 
transfer  of  the  fund  by  the  original  trustees  to  the  college 
trustees  that  one  half  of  it  was  finally  given  to  the  city  for  the 
building  of  a  new  jail.  Another  opponent  of  the  college  also 
appeared  in  the  person  of  David  Marinus,  Dutch  pastor  at 
Aquenonka,  Long  Island,  who  was  the  author  of  a  pamphlet 
entitled  "  A  Remark  on  the  Disputes  and  Contentions  in 
This  Province,"  printed  in  New  York  by  Hugh  Gaine  in 
1755.  This  writer  declared  that  the  surest  way  for  any  party 
to  promote  their  domineering  sway  was  to  obtain  control  of 
the  education  of  youth,  and  he  expressed  his  amazement  that 
the  Dutch  should  have  allowed  themselves  to  be  imposed 
upon  in  such  a  manner.  He  also  paid  his  respects  to  one  J. 
V.  D.  who  had  written  against  Mr.  Livingston  and  his  sup- 
porters in  the  N.  Y.  Mercury  charging  them  with  disturbing 
the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  the  colony.  This  individual  was 
informed  that  he  need  have  no  fear  that  the  Dutch  would 
give  any  assistance  either  to  the  college  in  New  Jersey,  (which, 
however,  was  preferable  to  that  in  New  York,)  nor  to  that  in 
New  York,  as  they  proposed  to  have  an  academy  of  their  own, 
having  found  this  to  be  necessary  unless  they  wished  to  be  an- 
nihilated by  the  other  churches.  Under  the  old  plan  of  educat- 
ing American  ministers  in  Holland  the  Dutch  Church  had  so 
declined  that  the  grandeur  of  the  High  Church  consisted  in 
proselytes  gained  from  it.  He  further  writes  :  "  Is  our  Friend 
really  of  Opinion,  our  Church  is  established  here,  or  the  Church 
of  England  either  ;  why  doth  he  then  not  prove  it  ?  *  *  * 
Oh!  this  mock  Establishment  is  a  Darling  of  theirs  to  enchant 
and  delude  the  Ignorant  and  Unweary  !  The  Net  is  already 
thrown  out  round  about  us  ;  it  hath  already  encircled  us ;  if 
we  remain  but  quietly  and  tamely  where  we  are,  no  doubt,  the 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


191 


High  Church  Party  will  make  the  greatest  Draught  ;  as  our 
real  and  honest  Friend  PJiileleutJieros  hath  shown.  But  our 
Ulyssean  Friend,  it  seems  is  not  contented  even  with  this  ;  we 
must  like  senseless  and  dumb  Fishes,  run  into  the  net  of  our 
own  Accord,  to  facilitate  the  Labour  and  Toil  of  our  Fisher- 
men, in  drawing  our  own  Ruin  and  Destruction  upon  us. 
We  must,  at  the  same  Time,  unite  with  the  Members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  in  promoting  their  High  Church  College, 
in  order  to  get  our  Youth  so  freely  educated  that  they  for- 
ever renounce  their  own  Church,  and  when  they  get  into  the 
Assembly,  make  us  pay  for  it  and  feel  the  Smart  of  it.  Is  this 
a  Foundation  to  build  a  College  upon  ?  Is  this  a  Basis 
whereon  to  fix  a  Seminary  of  Learning,  in  a  Free  Land,  de- 
signed for  a  Place  of  Refuge,  for  an  Asylum  to  persecuted 
Souls,  in  which  the  incroaching  Party  is  perhaps  scarcely 
a  twentieth  man  at  present  ?  *  *  *  Let  us  Men,  and 
Brethren,  put  our  Trust  in  God,  and  be  unanimous  among 
ourselves,  and  not  hearken  to  domineering  parties  who  en- 
deavor to  divide  us  ;  we  have  no  Business  with  their  Col- 
leges ;  they  may  erect  as  many  as  they  please,  and  must  ex- 
pect to  maintain  them  too  themselves."  Mr.  Marin  us'  final 
suggestion  that  the  Dutch  could  not  be  despoiled  without  the 
concurrence  of  the  Assembly  and  that  they  should  therefore 
be  particular  with  regard  to  their  choice  of  representatives, 
was  too  late  to  be  of  value  to  them.  A  Dutch  professorship 
of  theology  was  added  to  the  institution  in  June  1755,  but  in 
August  of  that  year  the  Dutch  Consistory  censured  Dominie 
Ritzema  for  having  acted  in  the  matter  without  authority, 
and  the  Dutch  took  no  part  in  the  college.  Denominational 
disagreements  thus  attended  the  foundation  of  the  college  and 
were  without  doubt  a  great  hinderance  to  its  prosperity.  The 
chief  causes,  however,  of  its  weakness  in  1789  were  the  fact  of 
its  having  been  closed  during  the  Revolution,  and  the  poverty 
which  had  followed  the  war.  The  college  was  revived  by  two 
Acts  passed  on  the  1st  of  May  and  the  26th  of  November 
1784  placing  it  under  the  control  of  the  Regents  of  the  State 
University  who  were  created  by  those  Acts,  but,  this  arrange- 
ment proving  detrimental  to  it,  a  new  law  was  passed  on  the 


192 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


13th  of  April  1787  by  which  its  old  charter  was  confirmed 
and  its  management  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  twenty-nine 
trustees  who  were  to  hold  office  until  their  number  was  re- 
duced to  twenty-four,  who  were  then  to  fill  the  vacancies 
themselves.  These  trustees  held  their  first  meeting  on  the 
8th  of  May  1787,  the  income  of  the  college  at  that  time  being 
about  ^1330.  The  first  stone  of  the  College  Building  was 
laid  on  the  23rd  of  July  1756,  and  in  May  1760  it  was  first  oc- 
cupied. The  building,  which  was  situated  on  the  blocks  now 
bounded  by  College  Place,  Church,  Murray,  and  Barclay 
Streets,  in  1789  formed  but  one  third  of  the  proposed  struct- 
ure and  had  been  considerably  damaged  during  the  Revolu- 
tion by  its  use  for  military  purposes.  It  was  a  three-story 
stone  building  with  four  entrances,  having  at  its  west  end,  on 
the  first  floor,  a  hall  in  front  and  a  dining  room  in  the  rear, 
with  but  a  slight  partition  between  them.  On  the  second 
floor,  over  the  hall,  was  a  library  the  books  of  which  had  dis- 
appeared during  the  war,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
building  was  the  apparatus  chamber.  The  third  floor  con- 
tained a  lecture  room,  over  the  library,  and  adjoining  it  was  a 
room  containing  a  telescope,  microscope,  globes,  and  other 
scientific  instruments.  In  other  parts  of  the  building  there 
were  also  a  chapel,  museum,  anatomical  theatre,  and  twenty- 
four  suites  of  apartments  consisting  of  a  sitting-room,  study, 
and  bedchamber.  One  description  states  that  there  were  but 
twelve  such  apartments.  The  middle  of  the  structure  was 
adorned  with  a  cupola  and  one  of  the  first  lightning  rods 
which  had  been  put  up  in  the  city.  In  1792  an  addition  to 
the  building  was  begun  and  the  College  occupied  the  premises 
until  its  removal  to  49th  Street  in  1857.  The  College 
Faculty  in  1789  consisted  of  : 

President  and  Professor  of  Rhetoric,  Logic,  and  Bettes-Lettres,  Hon. 

William  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D. 
Professor  of  Mora I  Philosophy ,  Geography ,  and  the  German  Language, 

Rev.  John  D.  Gross,  D.D. 
Professor  of  Mathematics,  John  Kemp,  LL.D. 
Professor  of  Greek  and  Latin,  Peter  Wilson. 
Professor  of  Oriental  Languages,  Rev.  John  C.  Kunze,  D.D. 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


193 


Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery,  Charles  McKnight,  M.D. 
Professor  of  the  Institutes  of  Medicine,  Benjamin  Kissam,  M.D. 
Professor  of  the  Practice  of  Physic,  Nicholas  Romaine,  M.D. 
Professor  of  Chemistry,  Samuel  Bard,  M.D. 

The  medical  department  had  been  established  in  1767, 
chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Samuel  Bard.  William 
Samuel  Johnson,  President  of  the  College,  was  a  son  of  its 
first  president,  and  was  born  in  Stratford,  Conn.,  on  the  6th 
of  January  1727.  After  graduation  from  Yale  College  in  1744 
he  studied  law  and  soon  attained  great  eminence  in  jurispru- 
dence. In  1 761  he  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  from  both 
Harvard  and  Columbia  Colleges,  and  in  1766,  when  on  a  visit 
to  England  as  colonial  agent,  he  received  that  of  J. CD.  from 
Oxford  and  was  also  elected  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 
He  was  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Connecticut,  Member 
of  Congress,  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in 
1787,  and  in  1789  was  U.  S.  Senator  from  Connecticut,  an  of- 
fice which  he  resigned  in  1 791.  He  accepted  the  presidency 
of  Columbia  College  in  November  1787  and  resigned  that 
position  on  the  16th  of  July  1800,  when  he  was  74  years  of 
age.    He  died  in  18 19  in  his  93rd  year. 

The  requirements  for  admission  to  the  college  in  1789 
were  the  ability  to  render  into  English  Caesar's  Commentaries, 
the  four  orations  of  Cicero  against  Catiline,  the  first  four 
books  of  Virgil's  ^Eneid,  and  the  Gospels  from  the  Greek, 
and  to  explain  the  government  and  connection  of  the  words ; 
to  be  able  to  turn  English  into  grammatical  Latin ;  and  to 
understand  the  first  five  rules  of  arithmetic.  The  college  year 
was  apparently  divided  into  two  sessions,  one  of  which  began 
on  the  1 8th  of  June  and  the  other  on  the  12th  of  November, 
the  price  of  tuition  being  five  dollars  for  each  professor  whose 
instruction  was  received.  Examinations  were  held  quarterly 
and  at  one  on  the  4th  of  February  1789  orations  were  delivered 
on  Slavery,  Education,  Prejudice,  Public  Spirit,  Government, 
and  General  Arnold,  who  was  "  made  as  black  as  the  power 
of  language  could  paint  him."  The  oration  on  Prejudice  was 
published  in  full  in  one  of  the  newspapers.  The  College 
Commencement  was  held  on  the  6th  of  May  1789  in  the  pres- 
J3 


194 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ence  of  the  President,  Vice-President,  and  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  Governor  Clinton,  and  other  distinguished 
persons,  the  ceremony  beginning  with  prayer  by  President 
Johnson,  after  which  there  were  the  following  orations  : 

James  C.  Duane,  Salutatory  in  Latin  on  the  Study  of  Philosophy  and 

Mathematics  in  Colleges. 
Matthew  Mesier,  On  the  Passions. 
Peter  Mesier,  On  the  Rising  Glory  of  America. 
William  Lupton,  On  the  Advantages  of  the  Discovery  of  Printing. 
Henry  Izard,  On  the  Necessity  of  Eloquence  for  the  Preservation  of 

Liberty. 

John  Bainbridge,  On  Happiness. 

John  P.  VAN  NESS,  On  the  Progress  and  Causes  of  Civilization. 
John  Remsen,  On  Government, — its  Progress  from  East  to  West 
William  Hurst,  On  the  Utility  and  Study  of  History. 
John  M.  Mason,  Valedictory. 

The  degree  of  A.B.  was  conferred  upon  these  graduates 
and  that  of  M.A.  upon  Dewitt  Clinton,  Philip  V.  Livingston, 
Rev.  John  Basset,  Rev.  Peter  Steddiford,  Abraham  Hun, 
Samuel  W.  Johnson,  and  R.  Alden.  The  recipients  of  the 
degree  of  D.D.  were  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Beach,  Moore,  Gross, 
and  Lynn  of  New  York,  Jacobus  R.  Hardenburgh,  and  Jere- 
miah Learning.  The  exercises  then  closed  with  a  charge  to 
the  students  by  President  Johnson. 

The  college  was  subjected  to  some  bitter  criticism  in  the 
newspapers  in  1789,  especially  on  account  of  the  small  number 
of  its  students  as  compared  with  other  colleges,  (Yale  had  30 
graduates  in  1789  and  Harvard  49)  its  lack  of  a  sufficient 
number  of  instructors,  and  the  fact  that  its  president  was  a 
U.  S.  Senator  to  the  supposed  neglect  of  his  college  duties. 
The  whole  number  of  students  was  said  to  be  between  thirty 
and  forty.  The  writer  of  these  criticisms,  however  was  evi- 
dently actuated  by  some  personal  grievance  which  does  not 
fully  appear.  A  more  profound  criticism  was  made  by  the 
Hon.  Hugh  Williamson,  M.D.,  LL.D.  of  North  Carolina,  in 
a  letter  of  September  14th  1789  addressed  to  President  John- 
son, in  which  he  advised  the  teaching  of  natural  philosophy 
and  natural  history  rather  than  the  confining  of  the  course  of 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


195 


study  to  the  classics.  This  wise  advice,  however,  merely 
brought  on  a  denominational  war  in  the  newspapers  in  which 
the  u  Presbyterian  dislike  of  the  classics  "  was  roundly  de- 
nounced. 

In  the  number  of  its  schools,  the  city  was  certainly  not 
lacking,  as  the  directory  for  1789  contains  the  names  of  55 
school-teachers,  and  there  were  several  others  whose  names 
do  not  appear  in  it.  The  oldest  school  in  the  city  was  the 
Charity  School  of  the  Dutch  Church,  mentioned  elsewhere, 
and  the  others  ranged  from  Columbia  Grammar  School  down 
to  that  kept  by  "  Sam  Jones,  old  soldier  and  schoolmaster, 
No.  22  King  George  Street."  Columbia  Grammar  School, 
which  was  probably  the  best  school  in  the  city,  was  estab- 
lished May  15th  1784  and  was  one  of  two  grammar  schools 
which  it  was  proposed  to  have  annexed  to  the  University, 
each  to  have  two  teachers,  and,  when  the  pupils  became  suffi- 
ciently numerous,  to  add  an  assistant.  In  view  of  this  supe- 
rior instruction,  the  price  of  tuition  wras  to  be  higher  than  in 
common  schools.  One  of  these  schools  was  kept  by  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Rigs  and  Mr.  M'Millan,  but  the  former  died  in  the 
early  part  of  September  1786  and  the  latter  being  called  to 
the  Kingston  Academy,  the  school  came  to  an  end.  The 
school-room  was  in  the  Old  City  Hall  and  the  scholars  were 
at  one  time  so  noisy  as  to  disturb  the  deliberations  of  Con- 
gress which  was  assembled  in  an  adjoining  room.  On  the 
26th  of  January  1784,  Mr.  William  Cochran  announced  that 
he  had  opened  a  school  at  No.  23  Maiden  Lane  in  which 
Latin,  Greek,  History,  and  Geography  would  be  taught.  In 
May  of  the  same  year  this  school  became  the  Columbia  Col- 
lege Grammar  School  and,  in  December,  Mr.  Cochran  was 
elected  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  College  itself, 
holding  that  position  until  his  resignation  in  the  early  part  of 
1789  when  he  accepted  a  professorship  in  Nova  Scotia.  John 
Randolph  of  Roanoke,  who  was  one  of  his  pupils,  writes  : 
"  Cochran  left  no  one  but  Dr.  Johnson,  the  president,  of  any 
capacity  behind  him."  The  first  quarterly  examination  of 
the  school  was  held  on  the  9th  of  August  1784,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Regents  of  the  University  and  clergy  of  the  city 


196 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


and  prizes  were  awarded  to  Masters  Cochran,  Mason,  and 
Woodward.  On  the  28th  of  October  1784,  Mr.  Cochran  an- 
nounced that  he  had  procured  an  able  assistant,  Mr.  George 
Wright  from  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  in  December,  the 
second  quarterly  examination  was  held  and  prizes  awarded  to 
James  C.  Duane,  John  M.  Mason  and  others,  of  whom  some 
were  graduated  from  the  College  in  1789.  In  March  1785,  it 
was  announced  that  the  terms  of  tuition  in  the  school  would 
be  reduced  to  one  guinea  entrance  fee  and  seven  dollars  a 
quarter,  which  seems  to  have  been  the  price  in  1789.  Other 
good  schools  were  that  kept  by  James  Hardie  at  No  9  Gold 
Street,  from  which  thirteen  scholars  were  admitted  to  Colum- 
bia College  in  June  1789;  that  of  Malcolm  Campbell  at  No. 
85  Broadway,  nearly  opposite  Trinity  Church  ;  and  that  at 
No.  19  Little  Queen  (Cedar)  Street  kept  by  Mr.  Graham  and 
Laurence  Johnson,  both  of  whom  made  their  appearance  in 
the  city  in  1784  and  became  partners  in  April  1787.  Mr. 
Hardie  was  the  author  of  a  Latin  Grammar,  and  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, who  had  received  the  degree  of  M.A.  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Aberdeen,  was  the  editor  of  some  of  the  earliest  edi- 
tions of  the  classics  published  in  New  York.  He  died  after  a 
lingering  illness,  on  the  nth  of  October  1821,  at  No.  31 
Liberty  Street,  in  the  63rd  year  of  his  age.  All  of  these 
schools  held  public  exhibitions  which  were  not  always  satis- 
factory to  their  visitors,  for  in  June  1789  complaint  was  made 
that  the  pieces  spoken  at  a  recent  exhibition  were  animated 
•by  party  spirit.  The  principal  young  ladies'  schools  were  that 
of  Mrs.  Sewall,  opened  in  June  1788  at  No.  89  William  Street 
and  removed  in  May  1789  to  No.  5  Crown  (Liberty)  Street; 
that  of  Mrs.  Carter,  "  late  of  London  and  Philadelphia," 
opened  in  January  1789  at  No.  76  Broadway,  opposite  the 
City  Tavern  ;  and  that  proposed  to  be  opened  in  September 
1789  by  Mrs.  Graham,  who  in  the  following  year  occupied 
the  house  No.  1  Broadway.  The  instruction  in  these  schools 
was  given  in  reading,  writing,  spelling,  arithmetic,  grammar, 
geography,  deportment,,  plain  sewing,  embroidery,  cloth-work, 
filigree  work,  japanning,  drawing,  painting,  music,  dancing  and 
French.    The  charges  were  about  £80  a  year,  including  wash- 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


197 


ing,  for  boarders,  £50  for  half-boarders,  and  six  dollars  a 
quarter  for  day  scholars.  The  leading  French  teacher  in  the 
city  was  Monsieur  Alexander  McDonald  who  announced  his 
arrival  from  South  Carolina  in  August  1789  and  advertised  in 
French  for  scholars  to  study  English  under  him.  He  ob- 
tained a  position  in  Graham  and  Johnson's  school  but  appar- 
ently did  not  remain  long  in  this  city,  as  he  died  in  Albany 
in  November  1 793.  Another  French  teacher  was  M.  Chevalier 
who  came  to  New  York  in  August  1784  by  the  advice  of 
Americans  whom  he  had  taught  at  Nantes  during  the  Revo- 
lution. He  also  taught  Latin  after  the  method  of  the  French 
Academy,  having  had  long  experience  in  Paris,  and  in  June 
1789  offered  gold  watches,  snuff-boxes,  and  buckles  for  sale 
at  No.  49  Fair  (Fulton)  Street.  John  H.  Hentz,  who  had 
taught  in  the  city  and  on  Long  Island  for  eleven  years,  also 
announced  in  1789  that  he  would  open  a  French  school  when 
he  had  obtained  twenty  pupils.  In  1784  he  charged  a  half  a 
guinea  a  month  for  instruction  given  from  five  to  seven  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  M.  Villette  also  gave  instruction  in  French 
and  fencing,  in  Cortlandt  Street,  the  second  door  from  Green- 
wich Street.  Music  was  taught  by  Henry  Capron  who  ap- 
peared in  the  city  in  November  1784,  at  No.  24  Gold  Street, 
and  by  Mr.  Reinagle,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Musicians  of 
London,  who  came  to  New  York  in  1786  and  in  after  years 
became  the  musical  director  of  the  Chestnut  Street  Theatre  in 
Philadelphia.  John  Rudberg  also  taught  the  guitar,  violin, 
and  clarinet  at  No.  4  Great  Dock  (Pearl)  Street ;  and  in  De- 
cember 1789  Mr.  P.  A.  Van  Hagen,  "organist,  carillineur, 
and  late  director  of  the  City  Concert  at  Zutphen,"  announced 
that  he  would  give  lessons  on  the  violin,  harpsichord,  tenor, 
violoncello,  German  flute,  hautboy,  clarinet,  and  bassoon,  as 
well  as  in  singing,  at  the  rate  of  twelve  lessons  for  six  dollars 
and  twenty  shillings  entrance  fee.  Mr.  Van  Hagen,  who  had 
been  a  member  of  the  patriotic  party  in  recent  troubles  in 
Holland,  arrived  in  New  York  in  October  1789  by  the  ship 
Jenny  from  Amsterdam,  being  drawn  to  America  by  affection 
for  republicanism  and  probably  also  by  the  desire  for  his  de- 
parture in  Holland.    His  first  advertisement  in  October  de- 


198 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


scribes  him  as  an  "  organist,  klokkenist,  and  componist,"  and 
he  was  warmly  welcomed  by  the  lovers  of  music  in  the  city. 
His  companion  Mr.  Frobel  also  taught  music  and  tuned 
pianos  for  five  shillings  each.  Another  music  teacher  was 
George  Gilfert  who  resided  at  No.  64  Nassau  Street,  and  the 
most  curious  musical  character  in  the  city  was  William  Hof- 
meister,  known  as  Little  Billy  the  Fiddler,  a  dwarf  about 
four  feet  six  inches  high,  who  in  August  1784  announced  that, 
being  incapable  of  other  employment,  he  would  teach  music 
of  almost  any  kind,  having  taken  a  room  at  No.  101  Broad- 
way, corner  of  Fair  (Fulton)  Street.  Clad  in  a  large  cocked 
hat  and  a  huge  pair  of  boots,  he  is  said  to  have  presented  a 
most  ludicrous  appearance ;  but  his  services  were  engaged  for 
many  parties,  and  as  he  claimed  to  have  been  a  friend  of  Mo- 
zart and  to  have  composed  one  of  his  sonatas,  he  was  evi- 
dently quite  a  musician.  Musical  instruments  were  manufact- 
ured by  Thomas  Dodd,  No.  66  Queen  (Pearl)  Street,  whose 
advertisement  states  :  "  The  pianoe-forte  is  become  the  most 
fashionable  instrument,  and  is  introduced  into  almost  every 
polite  family  in  England,  and  is  esteemed  a  complete  accom- 
panyment  to  the  female  voice ;  it  takes  up  but  little  room, 
and  may  be  moved  with  ease,  and  consequently  kept  in  tune 
with  little  attention  and  on  that  account  is  superior  to  the 
harpsichord."  Mr.  Dodd  manufactured  and  sold  these  instru- 
ments twenty-five  per  cent,  cheaper  than  they  could  be  im- 
ported, and  in  October  1789,  when  the  style  of  his  firm  was 
Dodd  and  Clause,  he  announced  that  he  had  discovered  im- 
provements which  rendered  his  pianos  superior  in  elegance 
and  sweetness  of  tone  to  any  yet  made.  Pianos  imported 
from  London  were  sold  by  J.  Jacob  Astor  at  No.  81  Queen 
Street.  On  the  2nd  of  October  1789  Thomas  Vaill  advertised 
that  he  would  open  a  singing-school  at  No.  83  Queen  (Pearl) 
Street  in  the  house  next  above  the  Friends'  Meeting  House, 
and  there  were  doubtless  other  schools  of  that  kind  in  the  city. 

Dancing-schools  were  kept  by  John  H.  Hulett,  Andrew 
Picken,  and  J.  Robardet.  Mr.  Hulett's  father,  William  C. 
Hulett,  had  been  a  dancing-master  who  came  to  New  York 
from  London  about  the  year  1754  and  died  in  1785,  when  the 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


199 


son  continued  the  school  which  in  1789  was  at  No.  15  Little 
Queen  (Cedar)  Street.  He  died  about  the  year  181 1,  and  was 
succeeded  by  David  D.  Hulett.  Mr.  Picken's  first  advertise- 
ment appeared  in  October  1785  stating  that  "  Mr.  Picken, 
lately  from  Britain,  has  opened  a  dancing-school  at  No.  1 
Smith  Street  corner  of  Duke."  In  1789,  his  school  was  kept 
in  the  City  Assembly  Room  on  the  east  side  of  Broadway,  a 
little  above  Wall  Street,  where  he  gave  frequent  public  ex- 
hibitions at  which  his  scholars  showed  their  skill  from  half 
past  five  until  eight  o'clock,  when  the  dancing  became  general, 
gentlemen's  tickets  costing  six  shillings  and,  with  a  lady, 
eight  shillings.  Mr.  Picken  died  in  1796.  Mr.  Robardet, 
who  came  from  Albany,  opened  his  school  at  Fraunces'  Tavern 
in  Cortlandt  Street  in  September  1789. 

Among  the  schools  out  of  the  city  which  were  advertised 
in  the  papers  were  academies  at  Orange  Dale,  English  Neigh- 
borhood, and  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  and  on  the  3rd  of  July  it 
was  announced  that  Timothy  Dwight  would  receive  six  young 
gentlemen  and  as  many  young  ladies  into  his  family  and 
school  at  Greenfield,  Connecticut. 

Of  New  York  literary  men  in  1789,  with  the  exception  of 
political  writers,  there  were  practically  none.  Philip  Freneau, 
who  was  then  captain  of  a  merchant  vessel,  had  acquired  a 
reputation  as  a  satirical  versifier,  and  one  of  his  poems  entitled 
"  The  Pilot  of  Hatteras  "  appeared  in  the  Daily  Advertiser  of 
November  14th,  and  perhaps  throws  some  light  on  the  habits 
of  the  sailors  at  that  time.  After  describing  the  grief  and  fear 
of  the  pilot's  sweetheart  at  his  departure,  the  poet  writes: 

"  'Till  eastern  gales  once  more  awake, 

No  danger  shall  be  near  ; 
On  yonder  shoals  the  billows  break, 

But  leave  us  quiet  here — 
With  gills  of  rum  and  pints  of  gin, 

Again  your  lad  shall  land, 
And  drink — till  he  and  all  his  kin 

Can  neither  sit  nor  stand." 

The  Miscellaneous  Works  of  Philip  Freneau  were  published 
by  Robert  Hodge  in  January  1789. 


200 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Samuel  Low,  born  December  12th  1765,  and  in  1789  a 
clerk  in  the  Bank  of  New  York,  also  wrote  verses,  of  which  a 
volume  was  published  in  1800.  He  was  also  the  author  of  a 
play  in  five  acts,  which  was  rejected  by  the  managers  of  the 
theatre  in  1788  but  was  published  by  Samuel  Loudon  in 
August  1789  under  the  title  "The  Politician  Outwitted." 
William  Dunlap's  two  plays,  entitled  "The  Father"  and 
"  Darby's  Return,"  apparently  complete  the  list  of  works 
written  by  New  Yorkers  in  1789. 

Two  literary  societies  existed,  the  oldest  of  which  was  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Useful  Knowledge,  whose  officers  were 
John  Sloss  Hobart,  president  ;  Rev.  Dr.  John  Rodgers  and 
Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  vice-presidents  ;  Daniel  M'Cormick,  treas- 
urer; Daniel  C.  Verplanck  and  Josiah  O.  Hoffman,  secre- 
taries ;  and  Dr.  James  Tillery,  librarian.  The  other  society 
was  the  Uranian  Society,  composed  of  young  men  and  students, 
including  John  M.  Mason,  Jonas  Piatt,  Thomas  Cooper,  Peter 
Mesier,  George  Graham,  John  P.  Van  Ness,  James  Cochran, 
Thomas  Morris  and  nine  others.  In  November  1789,  Mr. 
Van  Ness,  who  had  been  librarian  of  the  society,  was  charged 
with  wilfully  retaining  several  of  the  books,  his  room  and 
trunk  were  broken  into  by  other  members  of  the  society  in 
search  of  the  books,  and  columns  in  the  newspapers  were 
filled  with  the  abuse  which  he  and  his  opponents  heaped  upon 
each  other. 

The  sole  representative  of  the  city  as  a  practical  man  of 
science  was  Christopher  Colles,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  about 
the  year  1738  and  died  in  New  York  on  the  4th  of  October 
1 8 16.  He  is  said  to  have  left  Ireland  in  1765,  and  in  1772 
was  delivering  scientific  lectures  in  Philadelphia.  In  1773  he 
lectured  in  New  York  on  inland  lock-navigation  and  in  the 
following  year  agitated  the  subject  of  water-works  in  the  city, 
his  work  in  that  matter  being  interrupted  by  the  Revolution. 
From  1775  to  1777  he  gave  instruction  in  gunnery  to  the  ar- 
tillerists of  the  American  army,  and  after  the  war  barely  sup- 
ported himself  by  his  skill  as  a  chemist  and  his  mechanical 
genius.  On  the  4th  of  August  1789  he  petitioned  Congress 
for  exclusive  privileges  in  an  invention  for  counting  with  the 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


201 


utmost  precision  the  number  of  revolutions  or  vibrations  of 
any  wheel  or  other  part  of  mechanical  engines  or  machines, 
and  in  the  same  year  he  published  a  road-book  of  routes  lead- 
ing from  New  York  in  various  directions.  In  the  following 
year  he  also  presented  a  memorial  to  Congress  praying  that 
he  might  be  employed  to  make  a  survey  of  the  roads  in  the 
United  States.  From  a  report  on  this  memorial  made  by  the 
Postmaster  General  in  April  1790,  it  would  appear  that  Mr. 
Colles'  philosophical  knowledge,  which  was  undoubtedly  great, 
had  not  been  pecuniarily  remunerative  to  him ;  the  report 
states  that  "  the  ability  of  the  memorialist  to  execute  the  work 
within  a  reasonable  time  is  evident  from  what  he  has  already 
executed ;  and  as  it  is  the  principal  if  not  the  only,  depend- 
ence he  has  for  the  support  of  himself  and  his  family,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  he  will  be  as  industrious  as  his  slender  means 
will  admit."  As  the  amount  for  which  Mr.  Colles  asked  was 
but  an  eighth  of  a  dollar  per  mile  for  about  3000  miles,  or 
$375  in  all,  the  report  advised  that  the  petition  be  granted, 
but  the  project  does  not  seem  to  have  been  carried  out.  To 
him  is  attributed  the  first  attempt  to  build  a  steam  engine  in 
this  country,  the  idea  of  joining  Lake  Ontario  with  the  Hud- 
son River  by  a  canal,  and  the  first  formal  proposition  to 
establish  a  system  of  telegraphic  communication  along  the 
whole  Atlantic  coast  by  means  of  semaphores.  Late  in  life, 
through  the  efforts  of  John  Pintard,  he  was  appointed  Super- 
intendent of  the  American  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 

Some  idea  of  the  remuneration  which  authors  received  in 
1789,  may  be  gained  from  an  agreement  between  Noah 
Webster  and  Samuel  Campbell  of  New  York  by  which  the 
latter,  for  the  consideration  of  £Zo  New  York  currency,  or 
$200,  was  empowered  to  print  and  sell  for  five  years  from  May 
1788  the  first  part  of  Webster's  Grammatical  Institutes  of  the 
English  Language  or  American  Spelling  Book,  in  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  He 
was  also  to  be  allowed  to  print  and  sell  the  other  parts,  when 
completed,  for  the  same  consideration  as  might  be  offered  to 
the  author  by  others,  and  at  a  price  not  less  than  that  charged 
by  William  Young  of  Philadelphia. 


r 


202 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


The  principal  publishers  and  booksellers  in  the  city  in 
1789  were  : 

Thomas  Allen,  No.  16  Queen  (Pearl)  Street,  corner  of  the  Fly  Market. 

Berry  AND  Rogers,  No.  35  Hanover  Square. 

Samuel  Campbell,  No.  44  Hanover  Square,  corner  of  Old  Slip. 

William  Durrell,  No.  198  Queen  Street. 

Hugh  Gaine,  Sign  of  the  Bible,  Hanover  Square. 

Harrison  and  Purdy,  No.  3  Peck  Slip. 

Robert  Hodge,  No.  37  King  (Pine)  Street,  corner  of  Queen  (Pearl). 

Samuel  Loudon,  No.  5  Water  Street. 

Robert  M'Gill,  No.  212  Water  Street. 

William  Morton,  No.  231  Queen  (Pearl)  Street. 

John  Reid,  No.  17  Water  Street. 

James  Riyington,  No.  i  Queen  Street. 

The  books  read  in  1789  may  be  judged  of  by  a  few  taken 
at  random  from  the  advertisements  of  the  booksellers.  Thus, 
Samuel  Campbell  advertised  among  other  books,  American 
editions  of  Nicholson's  Introduction  to  Natural  Philosophy  ; 
Paley's  Moral  Philosophy  ;  Percival's  Father's  Instructions  ; 
Emma  Corbett  or  the  Miseries  of  Civil  War  ;  Advice  from  a 
Lady  of  Quality  to  her  children,  in  the  last  stage  of  a  linger- 
ing illness ;  The  Night  Cap,  by  Mercier ;  The  Beauties  of 
Dr.  Johnson ;  and  Falconer's  Shipwreck.  He  also  sold  a  Life 
of  Baron  Trenck,  with  an  elegant  frontispiece  representing  the 
baron  in  a  dungeon,  loaded  with  88  pounds  of  iron;  an  edition 
of  The  Lounger,  in  two  volumes,  for  12s.,  which  was  a  little 
more  than  half  the  London  price  ;  and  the  12th  edition  of  Web- 
ster's Spelling  Book.  In  1786  Mr.  Campbell  had  published 
a  sale  catalogue  containing  the  titles  of  about  5000  volumes. 
On  the  4th  of  February  1789,  Robert  Hodge  announced  the 
publication  of  "  The  First  American  Novel  "  entitled  "  The 
Power  of  Sympathy,  or  the  Triumph  of  Nature."  This  en- 
tertaining work  was  said  to  be  founded  on  truth,  and  written 
in  consequence  of  a  remarkable  suicide ;  it  was  published  in 
two  duodecimo  volumes  and  was  dedicated  to  the  young 
ladies  of  America.  The  suicide  referred  to  was  that  of  a 
young  lady  in  Boston  in  the  summer  of  1788,  which  was  fully 
described  in  the  newspapers  and  is  mentioned  in  Brissot  de 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


203 


Warville's  book.  In  December  1789,  Mr.  Hodge  also  offered 
for  sale,  at  the  price  of  two  shillings,  a  pamphlet  entitled 
"  The  Resurrection  of  Laurent  Ricci,"  a  true  and  exact  His- 
tory of  the  Jesuits,  by  "  A  Friend  of  Good  Government." 
This  was  dedicated  to  the  Rev.  Father  John  Carrol,  Superior 
of  the  Jesuits  in  the  United  States.  In  March  1789,  Thomas 
Allen  offered  for  sale  the  first  volume  of  the  new  Encyclopae- 
dia Britannica,  and  in  May,  he  announced  the  publication 
of  Mr.  Jerningham's  Poems  at  the  price  of  2s.  3d.  Samuel 
Loudon  sold  "  The  Conflagration,"  a  poem  upon  the  Last  Day 
by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Francis,  for  is.  6d.,  and  announced 
that  "  the  elegancy  of  the  stile,  the  seriousness  of  the  subject, 
and  the  object  of  the  performance,  must  be  an  inducement  to 
expedite  the  sale  of  such  a  valuable  publication."  Between 
January  and  April  1789,  he  also  sold  two  editions  of  Barthol- 
omew Burgess'  Short  account  of  the  Solar  System.  In  June 
1789,  Hugh  Gaine  published  and  sold  Jedidiah  Morse's 
American  Geography  for  14s.  to  the  public  and  for  a  French 
crown  in  sheets  by  the  quantity  to  booksellers.  William  Mor- 
ton published  "  The  Cow  Chace  "  by  Major  Andre,  and  Har- 
rison and  Purdy  issued  "  The  Young  Mason's  Monitor  and 
Vocal  Companion "  by  William  M.  Stewart,  an  American 
book  containing  necessary  hints  for  the  young  brethren  and 
a  collection  of  masonic  songs.  The  book,  however,  which 
created  the  greatest  interest  in  1789  both  in  New  York  and 
other  cities  was  Dr.  Gordon's  "  History  of  the  Rise,  Progress 
and  Establishment  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States 
of  America."  This  book  was  first  published  in  London  in 
1788  but  in  February  1789  Hodge,  Allen,  and  Campbell  pub- 
lished a  proposal  for  subscriptions  for  an  American  edition  to 
be  issued  in  three  octavo  volumes  for  thirty  shillings.  The 
reception  which  the  book  met  with  in  some  quarters  appears 
in  an  article  copied  in  the  New  York  newspapers  from  a 
Boston  source,  a  portion  of  which  reads  as  follows:  "Much 
has  been  said  and  much  still  remains  to  be  said  concerning  the 
inconsistency,  the  partiality,  the  notorious  reflections,  the 
mistakes,  the  redundancies,  the  manifest  errors  in  grammar, 
the  absurd  conclusions,  the  odd  conjectures,  and  the  repeti- 


204 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


tions  which  appear  in  almost  every  page  of  Dr.  Gordon's 
History  of  the  American  Revolution."  The  New  York  pub- 
lishers, however,  were  equal  to  the  occasion,  published  a  long 
advertisement  lauding  the  book  to  the  skies,  and  doubtless 
made  money  through  the  interest  aroused  by  the  criticism  of  it. 

The  longest-established  bookseller  in  the  city  in  1789  was 
Hugh  Gaine,  an  Irishman  from  Belfast,  who  came  to  New 
York  about  the  year  1745,  and  about  1750  set  up  a  press  pur- 
chased with  his  savings  as  an  apprentice  at  nine  shillings  cur- 
rency a  week.  In  August  1752  he  established  a  newspaper 
called  the  New  York  Mercury,  afterwards  called  the  Gazette 
and  Mercury,  of  which  he  continued  the  publication  until 
1783,  remaining  in  the  city  during  the  Revolution.  He  died 
April  25th  1807,  aged  81  years.  His  son,  John  R.  Gaine,  who 
was  associated  in  business  with  him,  died  in  May  1787.  James 
Rivington,  was  a  son  of  Charles  Rivington  who  in  171 1 
founded  the  publishing  house  of  that  name  in  London.  He 
settled  as  a  bookseller  in  Philadelphia  in  1760  and  came  to 
New  York  in  the  following  year.  In  1773  he  began  the  pub- 
lication of  a  newspaper  called  the  New  York  Gazetteer,  which 
became  obnoxious,  and  his  press  was  destroyed  by  Liberty 
Boys  in  1775  ;  but  in  1777  he  resumed  the  publication  of  it 
under  the  title  of  the  Royal  Gazette  and  remained  in  New 
York  during  the  Revolution,  expressing  the  strongest  tory 
sentiments,  but,  it  is  said,  giving  secret  information  to  Wash- 
ington. In  1783  he  discontinued  the  publication  of  his 
newspaper  and  became  a  bookseller  and  tobacconist.  His 
tobacco  advertisement  in  August  1789  reads:  "The  Gentle- 
man's Twist  is  a  constant  Vade  mecum  and  hilarious  Associate 
of  the  Cognoscenti  and  other  Amateurs  of  our  All-cheering, 
delicious  Morceau."  He  died  in  July  1802,  aged  78  years. 
His  portrait  is  in  the  Gallery  of  the  N.  Y.  Historical  Society. 

Robert  Hodge  came  to  America  from  Edinburgh  in  1770 
and  opened  a  printing  office  in  New  York  in  1773.  He  re- 
moved from  the  city  during  the  Revolution,  but  returned 
after  the  war,  and  published  a  number  of  books  jointly  with 
Allen  and  Campbell.  He  died  in  Brooklyn  in  August  1813 
at  the  age  of  67  years,  having  been  retired  from  business  for  a 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


205 


number  of  years.  Samuel  Campbell  was  also  a  Scotchman 
who  began  to  sell  books  in  New  York  about  the  year  1785 
and  died  in  the  city  on  the  26th  of  June  1836,  aged  73  years. 
Thomas  Allen  also  made  his  appearance  about  the  year  1786 
and  continued  in  business  until  1799.  Robert  MacGill  first 
appeared  in  Philadelphia  in  1771  and  removed  to  New  York 
in  1778  where  he  continued  in  business  until  181 1,  when  he 
removed  to  Newburg.  His  wife  died  on  the  14th  of  June 
1789  aged  26  years.  On  the  4th  of  November  1789,  was 
"  married  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Foster,  Mr.  William  Durrell, 
Printer  and  Bookseller,  to  Miss  Maria  Schenk,  daughter  of 
Mr.  Abraham  Schenk,  a  young  lady  possessed  of  the  most 
amiable  qualities,  both  natural  and  acquired."  Mr.  Durrell 
was  still  in  the  printing  business  in  1823.  John  Reid  ap- 
peared as  a  bookseller  soon  after  the  Revolution,  and  died 
August  19th  1828  aged  64  years. 

In  1784,  Samuel  Loudon  advertised  a  circulating  library  of 
about  2000  volumes,  which  did  not  thrive  although  revived  in 
April  1787;  but  whether  this  was  in  existence  in  1789  does 
not  appear.  The  books  of  the  New  York  Society  Library, 
founded  in  1754  and  chartered  November  9th  1772,  had  been 
stolen  and  dispersed  during  the  British  occupation  of  the  city 
in  spite  of  repeated  warning  proclamations  on  the  subject  by 
the  British  commanders.  It  is  not  probable  that  many  of 
them  had  been  recovered  in  1789,  but  the  members  of  the  So- 
ciety met  on  the  21st  of  December  1788,  for  the  first  time 
since  1774,  to  revive  the  library,  and  resolved  that  new  mem- 
bers should  be  admitted  upon  the  payment  of  £$,  which  had 
been  the  sum  paid  by  the  original  subscribers,  and  that  books 
to  that  value  should  be  received  in  lieu  of  money.  Their 
charter  was  confirmed  by  an  Act  passed  February  18th  1789 
which  appointed  as  trustees  of  the  Library  : 


Robert  R.  Livingston. 
Henry  Remsen. 
Robert  Watts. 
Brockholst  Livingston. 
Samuel  Jones. 
Peter  Ketteltas. 


Walter  Rutherford. 
Matthew  Clarkson. 
Samuel  Bard. 
Hugh  Gaine. 
Daniel  C.  Ver  Planck. 
Edward  Greswold. 


206 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


In  January  1789,  the  Common  Council  gave  the  Society 
Library  permission  to  occupy  the  uppermost  room  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Federal  Hall  provided  that  it  were  not 
needed  by  the  General  Government,  and  the  library  was  ac- 
cordingly opened  in  the  "  Library  Room  of  the  City  Hall " 
on  the  1st  of  June  1789,  one  of  the  chief  objects  in  reviving 
it  being  the  retention  of  the  General  Government  in  the  city. 
Access  could  be  had  to  the  books  on  Monday,  Wednesday, 
and  Friday  from  twelve  until  two  o'clock.  The  librarian  in 
1789  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wright,  minister  of  Brooklyn,  who  re- 
sided at  No.  13  Dey  Street.  In  the  summer  of  1790  this 
Library  had  250  subscribers  and  contained  3000  volumes. 

American  art,  both  in  New  York  and  elsewhere,  was  in  its 
earliest  infancy,  and  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  portrait 
painting.  The  drawing  and  painting  schools  in  the  city  were 
two  in  number,  that  of  James  Cox,  from  Albany,  at  No.  52 
Beekman  Street,  and  that  of  Ignatius  Shnydore  at  No.  28 
John  Street.  Mr.  Cox  gave  lessons  for  five  dollars  a  quarter 
in  the  painting  of  coats-of-arms,  and  of  silk,  satin  and  muslin 
gowns  and  flounces.  Mr.  Shnydore  gave  instruction  in  the 
painting  of  landscapes,  figures,  and  flowers,  both  in  oil  and  in 
water  color,  and  also  did  coach  and  sign  painting,  frescoing 
and  gilding. 

The  best  artist  in  the  city  was  John  Ramage,  an  Irishman, 
who  came  from  Boston  to  New  York  in  1777  and  was  con- 
sidered to  be  the  best  miniature  painter  of  his  time.  He  also 
made  life-size  portraits  in  crayon  and  pastel,  but  apparently 
did  no  large  work  in  oil  color.  In  1789  he  resided  at  No.  25 
William  Street,  and  on  the  morning  of  October  3rd  in  that 
year  he  had  a  two  hours  sitting  from  Washington  for  a  minia- 
ture portrait  to  be  made  for  Mrs.  Washington.  Of  greater 
subsequent  renown  was  William  Dunlap  who  was  born  in 
Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.,  February  19th  1766.  Coming  to  New 
York  with  his  parents  in  1777  he  early  developed  a  taste  for 
art  and  in  1782  began  to  paint  portraits  for  three  guineas 
each,  including  one  of  Washington  in  1783.  In  the  following 
year,  he  went  to  England  and,  after  instruction  from  Benja- 
min West,  returned  to  New  York  in  1787  to  occupy  himself 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


207 


chiefly  in  writing  plays  and  in  theatrical  affairs,  becoming 
manager  of  the  Park  Theatre  from  1798  to  1805.  In  1 816  he 
resumed  painting,  his  chief  pictures  "  Christ  Rejected,"  eighteen 
feet  by  twelve  in  size,  and  "  Calvary,"  eighteen  feet  by  fourteen, 
appearing  respectively  in  1 821  and  1828.  His  books  on  the 
History  of  the  American  Theatres,  the  History  of  the  Arts  of 
Design  in  the  United  States,  and  the  History  of  New  York, 
appeared  in  1833,  1834,  and  1840;  and  in  1826  he  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  National  Academy  of  Design.  In  the 
N.  Y.  Packet  of  Tuesday,  February  17th  1789,  there  appeared 
the  notice  :  "  On  Tuesday  last  was  married  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Moore,  Mr.  William  Dunlap,  an  eminent  portrait  painter  and 
Member  of  the  Philological  Society,  only  son  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Dunlap,  merchant  of  Queen  Street,  to  the  amiable  and  ac- 
complished Miss  Nabby  Woolsey  of  Fairfield,  Conn."  Mr. 
Dunlap  died  in  New  York  on  the  28th  of  September  1839. 
Edward  Savage,  who  was  born  in  Princeton,  Mass.,  in  1761:, 
was  also  in  New  York  in  1789  and  painted  a  portrait  of 
Washington  which  is  still  preserved  in  Harvard  University. 
In  his  diary  on  November  21st  1789,  Washington  writes: 
"  Sat  from  ten  to  one  o'clock  for  a  Mr.  Savage,  to  draw  my 
portrait  for  the  University  of  Cambridge,  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, at  the  request  of  the  President  and  Governors  of  the 
said  University."  He  also  gave  him  sittings  on  November  28th 
and  December  6th  1789,  and  on  the  6th  of  January  1790.  Mr. 
Savage  also  painted  a  well  known  picture  of  the  Washington 
Family  and  issued  an  engraving  of  it  done  by  Edwin  and 
John  Wesley  Jarvis.  He  died  in  Princeton,  Mass.,  in  18 17. 
The  only  other  professional  artist  in  New  York  in  1789  was 
Joseph  Wright,  who  was  born  in  Bordentown,  N.  J.,  July 
16th  1756.  He  was  a  son  of  Mrs.  Patience  Wright,  who  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  in  1725  and  attained  a  high  reputation 
as  a  modeller  of  wax  figures  both  in  America  and  in  London 
whither  she  went  with  her  children  about  the  year  1772.  He 
received  assistance  in  England  from  Benjamin  West,  and 
painted  a  portrait  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  George 
IV.  before  his  departure  to  France,  where  he  was  placed  under 
the  care  of  Benjamin  Franklin  in  1782.    In  the  latter  part  of 


208 


Nnv  York  City  in  1789. 


that  year  he  returned  to  America  and  in  October  1785,  painted 
portraits  of  General  and  Mrs.  Washington  at  Rocky  Hill, 
near  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  This  portrait  of  Washington 
was  to  be  sent  abroad  to  form  a  part  of  the  military  collection 
of  Count  de  Solms,  a  petty  German  potentate,  but  it  is  at 
present,  with  that  of  Mrs.  Washington,  owned  in  New  York 
City.  Mr.  Wright  also  made  a  plaster  cast  of  Washington's 
features,  which  was  to  be  sent  to  Europe  as  a  model  for  a 
bust,  but  broke  it  and  was  refused  a  second  trial  by  Washing- 
ton.   He  came  to  New  York  in  April  1786^  residing  in  1790 

at  No.  S  Little  Oueen  (Cedar)  Street,  but  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia BDOUt  1 JQ 1  and  died  there  of  yellow  fever  in  1 793. 
He  may  have  been  the  person  who  in  May  1790  advertised 
that  the  artist  who  had  had  the  honor  of  taking  the  Presi- 
dent'^ likeness  and  executing  it  as  a  medal,  would  take  most 
correct  and  expressive  likenesses  in  four  minutes,  and  finish 
them  as  miniatures  in  hair.  An  amateur  artist  of  consider- 
able skill  was  the  Marchioness  de  Brienne,  sister  of  the  French 
ambassador,  who  resided  with  her  brother  on  Broadway. 
Both  the  ambassador  and  his  sister  were  exceedingly  unpopu- 
lar for  some  time  after  their  arrival  in  America  in  1787,  but 
in  May  1789,  Mr.  Madison  wrote  to  Mr.  Jefferson:  "It  is 
with  much  pleasure  1  inform  you  that  Moustier  begins  to 
make  himself  acceptable,  and  with  still  more  that  Madame 
Brehan  begins  to  be  viewed  in  the  light  which  I  hope  she 
merits,  and  which  was  so  little  the  C8JQ  when  I  wrote  by 
Master  Morris."  Madame  de  Brienne  was  the  author  of 
beautiful  illuminated  designs  placed  in  front  of  the  ambassa- 
dor's house  on  the  night  of  Washington's  inauguration,  and 
on  the  ud  of  October  l  7 S, Washington  states  that  he  "  sat 
about  two  o'clock  for  Madam  de  Brehan,  to  complete  a  minia- 
ture profile  of  me,  which  she  had  begun  from  memory,  and 
which  she  had  made  exceedingly  like  the  original."  She  was 
also  the  painter  of  a  miniature  on  copper  containing  the  pro- 
files of  Washin  [ton  and  I^afayctte. 

The  newspaper  published  in  the  city  in  were  five  in 

number,  viz.  : 

The    New   York    lackct,  published    alter    May   17*9,  on 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


209 


Tuesday,  Thursday,  and  Saturday,  by  Samuel  Loudon,  at 
No.  5  Water  Street.  Price  of  three  papers  32  shillings,  of 
two  papers  24  shillings,  and  of  one  paper  16  shillings  a  year. 

The  New  York  Journal,  published  on  Thursday  by  Thomas 
Greenleaf  at  No.  25  Water  Street.    Price  two  dollars  a  year. 

The  Daily  Advertiser,  published  by  Francis  Childs  at  No. 
190  Water  Street,  corner  of  King  (Pine)  Street.  Price  six 
dollars  a  year. 

The  Daily  Gazette,  published  by  J.  and  A.  McLean  at 
No.  41  Hanover  Square,  at  the  Sign  of  Franklin's  Head. 

The  Gazette  of  the  United  States,  published  on  Wednes- 
day and  Saturday  by  John  Fenno  at  No.  9  Maiden  Lane. 
Price  three  dollars  a  year. 

Samuel  Loudon,  the  editor  of  the  Packet,  was  an  Irishman 
who  came  to  New  York  some  years  before  the  Revolution 
and  first  entered  into  business  as  a  shipchandler,  but  in  I775» 
set  up  a  printing  office  and  in  January  1776,  established  the 
New  York  Packet.  Being  a  strong  Whig  he  removed  his 
press  to  Fishkill,  before  the  British  occupation  of  New  York, 
and  continued  the  publication  of  his  paper  there  until  the 
British  left  New  York,  when  he  returned  to  the  city  and  on 
the  15th  of  January  1784  was  recommended  to  the  public  by 
the  Whig  mechanics  of  the  city  as  worthy  of  patronage  be- 
cause of  his  strong  attachment  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  I  le 
was  for  many  years  an  elder  in  the  Wall  Street  Presbyterian 
Church  and  continued  to  edit  the  Packet  until  January  26th 
1792  when  the  paper  was  discontinued.  He  died  at  Middle- 
town  Point,  N.  J.,  on  the  24th  of  February  18 13,  aged  86 
years. 

Thomas  Greenleaf,  the  editor  of  the  Journal,  was  born  in 
Abington,  Mass.,  and  was  the  son  of  a  printer.  Prior  to  1787 
he  was  editor  of  the  Boston  Independent  Chronicle,  but  in 
that  year  purchased  the  New  York  Journal,  founded  by  John 

Holt  in  1767.    He  was  a  sachem  of  the  Tammany  Society, 

and  State  printer,  and  continued  to  edit  the  Journal  until  his 
death  of  yellow  fever  on  the  14th  of  September  1 70S  at  the 
age  of  forty- two  years. 

Francis  Childs,  editor  of  the  Advertiser,  established  that 
14 


2IO 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


paper  March  1st  1785  and  continued  to  edit  it  until  1795.  In 
July  1789  he  took  John  Swaine  as  a  partner  in  the  printing 
business.  Mr.  Childs  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  October  23rd 
1763,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  was  kindly  cared  for  by 
John  Jay.  He  learned  the  printing  trade  under  Mr.  Dunlap 
in  Philadelphia  and  was  sent  under  Government  auspices  to 
Charlotteville,  Va.,  whence  he  escaped  when  the  town  was 
surprised  by  the  British  under  Col.  Tarleton.  After  the 
Revolution  he  settled  in  New  York  and  founded  the  Adver- 
tiser, which  was  the  first  daily  newspaper  published  in  the  city 
and  the  second  in  the  United  States,  the  Pennsylvania  Packet 
and  Daily  Advertiser  having  become  a  daily  paper  in  Phila- 
delphia on  the  2 1st  of  September  1784.  On  the  17th  of  Feb- 
ruary 1797  Mr.  Childs,  who  was  then  residing  in  Europe,  was 
appointed  U.  S.  Consul  at  Genoa,  but  declined  that  office, 
although  he  afterwards  acted  as  a  government  agent  in  France 
and  Germany.  He  died  in  Burlington,  Vermont,  in  October 
1830. 

The  Daily  Gazette  was  established  by  John  and  Archibald 
M'Lean  in  December  1788  and  was  published  under  the  name 
of  both  of  them  until  August  5th  1789  when  it  was  continued 
by  Archibald  M'Lean  alone,  John  M'Lean  having  died  in 
Norfolk,  Va.,  on  the  18th  of  May,  aged  32  years.  In  January 
1789  it  began  the  publication  in  its  columns  of  the  Life  of 
Baron  Trenck  as  a  serial  story,  and  on  the  12th  of  August  1789 
John  Quirk,  its  carrier,  fell  down  in  a  fit  and  immediately  ex- 
pired. Mr.  M'Lean  published  the  paper  alone  until  January 
3rd  1797  when  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  John  Lang 
which  ended  with  Mr.  M'Lean's  death  of  yellow  fever  on  the 
22nd  of  September  1798.  The  paper  was  continued  under 
both  of  their  names,  however,  until  March  1799,  when  Mr. 
Lang  became  sole  publisher. 

John  Fenno,  editor  of  the  Gazette  of  the  United  States, 
was  the  son  of  a  Boston  innkeeper,  and  being  a  good  penman 
was  first  employed  as  usher  in  a  Boston  writing-school,  from 
which  occupation  he  entered  into  the  importing  trade,  and 
failed.  When  the  United  States  Government  began  its  work 
in  New  York  in  1789,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a 


Educatio?i.    Literature.  Art. 


211 


newspaper  devoted  to  news  of  the  General  Government, 
somewhat  of  the  nature  of  a  Court  Gazette,  and  published 
the  first  number  of  it  on  the  15th  of  April  1789.  He  was  of  a 
poetical  and  imaginative  temperament,  and  flattered  the  fash- 
ionable members  of  New  York  society  to  the  best  of  his  abil- 
ity, calling  down  upon  himself  the  ridicule  of  Philadelphia 
newspapers  because  of  the  number  of  French  words  which  he 
introduced  in  his  compositions.  On  the  14th  of  October  1789 
he  announced  that  his  paper  had  about  650  subscribers,  a  num- 
ber insufficient  to  furnish  him  with  a  competent  support.  He 
transferred  the  Gazette  to  Philadelphia  upon  the  removal  of 
Congress  to  that  city,  and  died  there  of  yellow  fever  on  the 
14th  of  September  1798,  aged  47  years.  All  of  the  newspapers 
in  1789  consisted  chiefly  of  advertisements  and  notices  of  auc- 
tion sales,  to  which  were  added  extracts  from  European  news- 
papers, short  clippings  from  papers  in  other  states,  and  a  few 
items  of  city  news  or  a  long  disquisition  upon  some  religious 
or  political  topic.  After  the  opening  of  Congress  its  debates 
were  published  at  length  but  in  a  manner  not  acceptable  to 
the  members,  as,  on  the  21st  of  September  1789  a  motion  was 
made  in  the  House  directed  against  Francis  Childs,  John 
Fenno,  and  Thomas  Lloyd,  the  editor  of  the  Congressional 
Register,  complaining  that  they  made  gross  misrepresentations 
in  their  reports  of  the  debates.  They  plead,  however,  that 
their  errors  were  unintentional  and  the  motion  for  excluding 
them  was  withdrawn.  There  were  also  a  few  broad  jokes  and 
anecdotes  scattered  through  their  pages,  and  a  poem  or  two 
with  such  titles  as  "  On  a  young  lady  of  great  merit  who  died 
in  obscurity  "  or  "  An  occasional  Reflection  on  the  vanities  of 
Life,  and  the  absence  of  Friendship."  Editorial  remarks  were 
few  in  number  but  at  times  vigorous  in  expression.  The  edi- 
tors were  expected  to  be  non-partisan  in  politics  and  to  admit 
in  their  papers  arguments  from  both  sides,  but  in  May  1789, 
Mr.  Childs  of  the  Advertiser  became  indignant  at  the  articles 
by  one  "  William  Tell  "  who  had  been  supporting  Governor 
Clinton  against  the  attacks  of  one  "  H.  G.,"  and  declined  to 
print  more  of  them.  "  William  Tell  "  then  published  his  ar- 
ticles in  the  Packet,  and  hints  were  made  that  Mr.  Childs' 


212 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


motives  in  excluding  them  were  not  of  the  purest  sort,  where- 
upon the  latter  thus  politely  dismissed  the  whole  subject  in 
his  paper  of  May  23rd:  "The  Printer  looks  down  with  con- 
tempt on  the  person  of  W.  Tell,  his  political  productions  and 
the  impotent  struggles  of  his  malicious  heart.  His  paper 
shall  no  more  be  open  to  the  artificial  passions  of  a  scribbler, 
equal  destitute  of  decency  and  of  interest  in  the  politics  of  this 
state  or  the  welfare  of  this  country."  Mr.  Loudon's  paper  was 
the  favorite  field  for  the  bitter  denominational  and  religious 
controversies  which  were  raised  upon  every  possible  occasion, 
and  evidently  excited  the  disgust  of  a  portion  of  the  com- 
munity, as,  in  December  1789,  after  "  Eusebius  "  and  "  Juve- 
nis"  had  been  wrangling  over  the  President's  Thanksgiving 
Proclamation,  another  correspondent  complained  that  the 
paper  was  filled  with  religious  disputes  although  Mr.  Loudon 
had  been  warned  by  his  friends  against  the  insertion  of  such 
articles. 

In  October  1789  the  number  of  papers  issued  in  the  United 
States  was  estimated  at  76,438  weekly,  or  3,974,776  annually, 
which  at  four  cents  each,  were  valued  at  about  $158,991. 
Quills  could  be  purchased  at  the  factory  of  Francis  Turner, 
No.  93  Queen  (Pearl)  Street,  corner  of  Rutgers  (Oak)  Street, 
for  from  four  to  fifteen  shillings  a  hundred,  and  paper  could 
be  obtained  of  Berry  and  Rogers  or  of  James  Rivington.  Ink 
was  manufactured  by  Joyce  and  Snowden  who  advertised  it 
as  of  English  make  until  May  1790  when  they  first  ventured 
to  proclaim  it  an  American  article. 

In  1789  there  was  no  magazine  published  in  New  York. 
In  1788  Noah  Webster  published  the  American  Magazine  in 
the  city  but  it  soon  died  from  lack  of  subscribers. 

The  State  printing  was  eagerly  sought  for  in  1789  by 
several  of  the  printers,  the  laws  of  that  year  being  printed  by 
Samuel  Loudon.  On  the  8th  of  January  the  Assembly  re- 
solved to  appoint  Thomas  Greenleaf  state-printer  after  that 
session  and  to  pay  him  30s.  a  sheet  for  300  copies  of  the  laws 
and  journals,  and  the  further  sum  of  ten  pounds  for  State 
business,  the  laws  to  be  printed  within  two  months  after  the 
adjournment  of  the  legislature.    The  Senate  did  not  concur 


Education.    Literature.  Art. 


213 


in  this  and  substituted  the  name  of  Francis  Childs  for  that  of 
Mr.  Greenleaf  and  after  some  controversy  Mr.  Childs  received 
the  appointment.  In  May,  Archibald  M'Lean,  John  Fenno, 
Francis  Childs,  Thomas  Greenleaf  and  Samuel  Loudon  all 
presented  petitions  to  Congress  to  be  allowed  to  do  the  United 
States  printing,  and  Thomas  Allen  and  John  Bryce  of  No.  30 
Smith  Street  petitioned  to  furnish  Congress  with  stationery. 
The  first  number  of  the  Congressional  Register  was  printed 
by  Harrison  and  Purdy  for  Mr.  Lloyd,  the  editor,  and  the 
subsequent  parts  were  printed  by  Mr.  Loudon.  The  laws  of  the 
United  States  were  printed  by  Francis  Childs  under  author- 
ity of  Congress  and  sold  by  him  at  the  price  of  one  dollar  for 
each  one  hundred  pages.  Among  the  printers  who  died  in 
the  city  in  1789  was  George  Carroll,  on  the  30th  of  November, 
who  with  John  Patterson  continued  the  Morning  Post  for  a 
short  time  after  the  retirement  of  Shepard  Kollock  from  its 
editorship  on  the  15th  of  December  1786. 


VII. 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams. 

When  the  electoral  votes  for  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent had  been  counted  in  Congress  on  the  6th  of  April  1789, 
Charles  Thomson,  Secretary  of  Congress,  and  Sylvanus 
Bourne,  were  at  once  appointed  by  the  Senate  to  convey  the 
official  certificates  of  election  to  the  successful  candidates  at 
Mount  Vernon  and  Braintree  respectively.  Mr.  Sylvanus 
Bourne  was  a  private  citizen  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  and  was 
probably  appointed  as  messenger  to  Mr.  Adams  because  he 
was  about  to  depart  homeward  and  expense  could  be  saved 
by  entrusting  the  certificate  to  his  care.  He  was  rewarded 
by  receiving  an  appointment  as  consul  to  the  Island  of  His- 
paniola  on  the4th  of  June  1790,  and  on  the  28th  of  May  1794 
he  was  appointed  vice-consul  at  Amsterdam,  being  promoted 
to  be  consul-general  in  the  Batavian  Republic  on  the  23rd  of 
June  1797  and  apparently  holding  that  office  until  his  death 
in  Amsterdam  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  18 17.  He  was 
graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1779.  Mr.  Thomson  was 
authorized  to  apply  to  the  Board  of  Treasury  for  such  funds 
as  might  be  necessary  for  his  journey,  but  Mr.  Bourne  was 
limited  to  one-hundred  dollars  toward  defraying  his  expenses. 
Both  messengers  started  on  their  mission  on  the  7th  of  April. 

Congress  then  turned  its  attention  to  the  subject  of  re- 
ceiving the  President  and  Vice-President  upon  their  arrival  in 
New  York,  the  first  step  in  that  direction  being  taken  on 
the  9th  of  April  when  the  Senate  appointed  John  Langdon, 
William  Samuel  Johnson,  and  William  Few,  a  committee 
to  arrange  for  the  reception  of  the  President.  On  the  13th 
of  April  the  same  committee  was  empowered  to  include  the 
reception  of  the  Vice-President  in  its  consideration,  and  a 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  215 


committee  of  the  House  consisting  of  Egbert  Benson,  Peter 
Muhlenberg,  and  Samuel  Griffin,  was  appointed  to  act  in 
concert  with  that  of  the  Senate.  The  result  of  their  confer- 
ence was  a  report  which  was  adopted  by  both  branches  of 
Congress  on  the  15th  of  April  to  the  effect  that  Mr.  Osgood, 
the  proprietor  of  the  house  lately  occupied  by  the  President 
of  Congress,  be  requested  to  put  it  and  its  furniture  in  condi- 
tion for  the  residence  and  use  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  at  the  expense  of  the  government ;  and  that  three 
members  of  the  Senate  and  five  members  of  the  House  be 
appointed  to  attend  the  President  from  New  Jersey  and  to 
conduct  him  without  form  to  that  residence.  It  was  also  re- 
solved that  two  members  of  the  Senate  and  three  members 
of  the  House  should  receive  and  congratulate  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent upon  his  arrival  in  the  city.  In  accordance  with  these 
resolutions,  on  the  16th  of  April,  the  Senate  appointed  John 
Langdon  of  New  Hampshire,  Charles  Carroll  of  Maryland, 
and  William  Samuel  Johnson  of  Connecticut,  to  wait  upon 
the  President ;  and  Oliver  Ellsworth  of  Connecticut,  and 
Tristram  Dalton  of  Massachusetts,  to  wait  upon  the  Vice- 
President.  The  House  appointed  Elias  Boudinot  of  New 
Jersey,  Theodoric  Bland  of  Virginia,  Thomas  T.  Tucker  of 
South  Carolina,  and  Egbert  Benson  and  John  Lawrence  of 
New  York  to  receive  the  President,  while  the  Vice-President 
was  to  be  congratulated  upon  his  arrival  by  Nicholas  Gil  man 
of  New  Hampshire,  Fisher  Ames  of  Massachusetts,  and 
George  Gale  of  Maryland. 

Mr.  Sylvanus  Bourne  left  New  York  by  boat  for  Boston 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  April  7th,  arrived  in  Boston 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  April  9th  and  the  same 
night  delivered  to  John  Adams  the  certificate  of  his  election 
and  the  following  note  from  the  temporary  President  of  the 
Senate  : 

"  Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  you  the  informa- 
tion of  your  being  elected  to  the  office  of  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States  of  America.  Permit  me,  Sir,  to  hope  that 
you  will  soon  safely  arrive  here,  to  take  upon  you  the  dis- 


2l6 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


charge  of  the  important  duties  to  which  you  are  so  honorably 
called  by  the  voice  of  your  country. 

I  am,  Sir,  with  sentiments  of  respect, 

Your  obedient,  humble  servant, 
John  Langdon. 

Mr.  Adams  left  his  home  in  Braintree,  Mass.,  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  April  13th  and  arrived  at  the  State 
line  between  New  York  and  Connecticut  on  the  morning  of 
April  20th,  being  conducted  thence  to  Kingsbridge  by  the 
Light  Horse  of  Westchester  County  under  command  of  Ma- 
jor Pintard.  At  Kingsbridge  he  was  met  by  General  Mal- 
colm and  the  officers  of  his  brigade,  the  City  Troop  of  Light 
Horse  under  command  of  Captain  Stakes,  who  was  acting 
under  brigade  orders  of  March  22nd,  many  members  of  Con- 
gress and  citizens  in  carriages,  who  formed  a  procession  and 
escorted  him  to  the  house  of  John  Jay,  at  what  was  then  No. 
133  Broadway,  his  arrival  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  be- 
ing announced  by  a  discharge  of  cannon  at  the  Battery.  At 
Mr.  Jay's  house  he  was  welcomed  by  the  committee  appointed 
for  that  purpose  by  Congress.  On  the  same  day  the  Senate 
appointed  Caleb  Strong  of  Massachusetts  and  Ralph  Izard 
of  South  Carolina  to  escort  Mr.  Adams  to  the  Senate  Cham- 
ber and  on  the  21st  of  April  they  did  so,  John  Langdon,  the 
temporary  President  of  the  Senate,  meeting  him  upon  the 
floor  and  saying  "  Sir :  I  have  it  in  charge  from  the  Senate  to 
introduce  you  to  the  chair  of  this  House  ;  and  also  to  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  appointment  to  the  office  of  Vice-Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  of  America."  Mr.  Langdon  then 
conducted  Mr.  Adams  to  the  chair  and  the  latter  made  a 
short  address.  On  the  same  morning  the  Mayor  and  Com- 
mon Council  called  upon  Mr.  Adams  in  a  body  to  congratu- 
late him  upon  his  election  and  his  safe  arrival.  The  Federal 
Constitution  having  made  no  definite  provision  for  the  taking 
of  oaths  of  office  by  Federal  officers,  with  the  exception  of 
giving  a  form  of  oath  to  be  taken  by  the  President  before  en- 
tering upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  neither  the  Senators  nor 
the  Vice-President  took  any  oath  of  office  until  the  3rd  of 


George  Washijigton  and  John  Adams. 


2x7 


June  1789.  On  that  day,  in  pursuance  of  the  first  Act  passed 
by  the  first  U.  S.  Congress,  it  was  ordered  by  the  Senate  that 
Mr.  Langdon  administer  the  oath  of  office  to  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent, "  which  was  done  accordingly  ;  "  the  Vice-President  then 
administered  the  oath  to  the  Senators.  Mr.  Adams'  wife  and 
son  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  25th  of  June  1789  and  the 
family  took  up  their  residence  in  the  Richmond  Hill  man- 
sion at  the  corner  of  Varick  and  Charlton  Streets. 

The  reception  of  the  Vice-President  having  thus  been  dis- 
posed of  with  no  great  ceremony,  that  of  the  President  was 
next  arranged.  In  March  was  begun  the  building  of  a  mag- 
nificent barge  in  which  Washington  was  to  be  rowed  from 
Elizabethtown  Point  to  the  City,  and  on  the  28th  of  that 
month  the  mechanics  who  had  furnished  the  materials  for  the 
Federal  Ship  Hamilton  in  1788  wished  to  know,  from  the 
gentlemen  who  had  employed  a  person  to  build  the  barge, 
why  they  had  been  deprived  of  that  honor,  as  they  were  per- 
suaded as  a  body  that  their  former  services  entitled  them  to 
that  patronage.  The  barge,  which  was  between  forty  and 
fifty  feet  long  and  cost  between  ,£200  and  ^"300,  was  launched 
on  the  2 1st  April  and  was  pronounced  to  be  "  a  most  masterly 
construction  in  its  line."  Upon  his  removal  to  Philadelphia 
Washington  returned  it  to  those  who  presented  him  with  it. 
In  the  Massachusetts  Centinel  of  February  4th  1789  it  was 
stated  that  the  citizens  of  New  York  were  fitting  up  the  Fed- 
eral Ship  Hamilton  as  a  barge  for  the  President ;  which  may 
have  been  the  case  so  far  as  some  portions  of  the  material  of 
the  barge  were  concerned. 

On  the  4th  of  April  one  truly  democratic  citizen  published 
a  card  in  the  Daily  Gazette  as  follows :  "  As  the  Illustrious 
President  General  is  soon  expected,  will  it  not  be  more  Mag- 
nificent to  receive  that  great  Character  as  Citizens  and 
Brothers,  than  with  a  vain  Ostentation  of  Military  parade?" 
But  the  majority  of  the  citizens  were  of  an  entirely  different 
mind,  and  after  a  consultation  between  the  State  and  City 
officers,  an  elaborate  programme  was  devised  for  the  Presi- 
dent's reception.  The  main  features  of  this  programme 
were  :  L  The  Chancellor,  Adjutant-General,  and  Recorder  to 


218 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


receive  him  at  the  Jersey  shore;  II.  A  salute  to  be  fired  from 
the  Battery  upon  his  embarkation  III.  A  second  salute  to  be 
fired  upon  his  passing  the  Battery;  IV.  The  Governor  and 
State  officers,  and  Mayor  and  officers  of  the  Corporation  to 
meet  him  upon  landing  and  to  accompany  him  to  his  house ; 
V.  Volunteers  of  the  Legion  of  Malcolm's  Brigade,  and  Bau- 
man's  Artillery  to  parade  in  uniform  ;  VI.  Bells  to  ring  for 
half  an  hour  after  his  landing;  VII.  The  colors  on  the  Fort 
and  vessels  in  the  harbor  to  be  displayed  on  the  firing  of  the 
first  salute;  VIII.  The  city  to  be  illuminated  from  seven  to 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  On  the  22nd  of  April  the  Com- 
mon Council  passed  a  resolution  recommending  the  ringing 
of  the  church  bells  and  illumination  of  the  city,  and  also  ap- 
propriated £  16  for  the  payment  of  gunpowder  to  be  used  by 
the  militia  upon  the  President's  arrival. 

Charles  Thomson  left  New  York  early  in  the  morning  of 
April  7th  and  by  diligent  travelling  reached  Mount  Vernon  at 
about  noon  on  the  14th  of  April.  An  hour  later  he  delivered 
to  General  Washington  the  certificate  of  his  election  to  the 
presidency  and  a  note  from  Mr.  Langdon  which  read  as 
follows  : 

"  Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  to  your  Excellency 
the  information  of  your  unanimous  election  to  the  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Suffer  me,  Sir,  to 
indulge  the  hope  that  so  auspicious  a  mark  of  public  confi- 
dence will  meet  your  approbation,  and  be  considered  as  a  sure 
pledge  of  the  affection  and  support  you  are  to  expect  from  a 
free  and  an  enlightened  people. 

I  am,  Sir,  with  sentiments  of  respect, 

Your  obedient,  humble  servant, 
John  Langdon." 

Mr.  Thomson  also  made  a  short  speech  of  congratulation 
to  which  the  President  briefly  replied.  General  Washington 
left  Mount  Vernon  on  the  16th  of  April  accompanied  by  his 
secretary  Col.  David  Humphreys  and  Mr.  Thomson.  On 
that  day  he  wrote  in  his  diary :  "  About  ten  o'clock  I  bade 
adieu  to  Mount  Vernon,  to  private  life,  and  to  domestic  felic- 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  219 


ity  ;  and  with  a  mind  oppressed  with  more  anxious  and  pain- 
ful sensations  than  I  have  words  to  express,  set  out  for  New 
York  with  the  best  disposition  to  render  service  to  my  country 
in  obedience  to  its  call,  but  with  less  hope  of  answering  its  ex- 
pectations." Although  he  began  his  journey  each  day  at 
sunrise  the  ovations  which  he  received  along  his  route  so  de- 
layed him  that  not  until  the  23rd  of  April  did  he  appear  at 
Elizabethtown  Point  to  be  conveyed  to  New  York  City.  On 
that  day  he  was  meet  on  the  Jersey  shore  by  the  committee  of 
Congress  and  by  Chancellor  Livingston,  Adjutant-General 
Fish,  and  Recorder  Varick,  who  escorted  him  to  New  York 
in  the  barge  manned  by  thirteen  New  York  pilots  dressed  in 
white  uniforms,  with  Capt.  Thomas  Randall  as  coxswain. 
The  names  of  the  branch  pilots  in  1789,  from  among  whom 
these  thirteen  were  chosen,  were  Zacariah  Rusler,  David 
Morris,  William  Van  Drill,  John  Callahan,  Robert  Eaton, 
Edward  Wilkie,  John  Funk,  Nathaniel  Funk,  Charles  Penny, 
Peter  Parks,  Isaac  Simonson,  Charles  Swan,  Matthew  Daniel, 
and  Thomas  Gray.  Accompanying  this  barge  upon  its  pas- 
sage across  the  river  was  one  containing  Gen.  Knox,  John  Jay 
and  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Treasury,  and  there  were 
other  barges  and  sloops,  from  one  of  which  arose  ravishing 
strains  of  music.  The  editor  of  the  Packet  writes  :  "  The 
voices  of  the  ladies  were  as  much  superior  to  the  flutes  that 
played  with  the  stroke  of  the  oars  in  Cleopatra's  silken  corded 
barge,  as  the  very  superior  and  glorious  water  scene  of  New 
York  bay  exceeds  the  Cydnus  in  all  its  pride.  We  could  with 
rapture  dwell  upon  this  interesting  subject,  and  wander  into 
the  fields  of  fancy  for  expressions  to  paint  the  various  and  de- 
lightful appearances  that  vied  with  each  other  at  the  same 
time  to  welcome  the  Great  and  Illustrious  Man  to  our  now 
happy  city."  The  singing  here  referred  to  was  probably  that 
of  an  ode  composed  by  Mr.  Low  for  the  occasion  and  set  to  a 
tune  which  the  newspapers  announced  as  "God  save,  etc.," 
the  first  verse  being  : 

u  Hail  thou  auspicious  day  ! 
Far  let  America 
Thy  praise  resound  : 


220 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Joy  to  our  native  land  ! 
Let  every  heart  expand, 
For  Washington's  at  hand, 

With  glory  crowned  !  " 

There  were  in  all  five  verses  of  somewhat  similar  import. 
The  Spanish  sloop-of-war  Galveston,  which  lay  in  the  harbor 
with  only  her  own  flag  displayed,  fired  a  salute  of  thirteen 
guns  as  the  President's  barge  passed,  and  at  once  displayed 
all  the  flags  known  among  foreign  nations.  Mr.  Arnold  H. 
Dohrman's  ship  North  Carolina  and  the  other  vessels  in  the 
harbor  were  decorated,  and  the  schooner  Columbia  just  arrived 
from  Charleston,  Philip  Freneau,  captain,  sailed  up  the  Bay 
with  her  colors  flying.  As  the  President  passed  the  Battery 
he  was  saluted  with  thirteen  guns.  At  Murray's  Wharf  near 
the  foot  of  Wall  Street,  where  a  pair  of  carpeted  stairs  had 
been  erected,  thirteen  more  guns  were  fired  as  he  landed  and 
was  received  by  the  Governor  and  State  officers  and  by  the 
Mayor  and  Aldermen.  A  procession  was  then  formed  which 
escorted  him  from  the  wharf  to  his  residence  in  the  following 
order : 

Col.  Morgan  Lewis,  accompanied  by  Majors  Morton  and  Van  Home. 
City  Troop  of  Dragoons  under  Capt.  Stakes. 
German  Grenadiers  under  Capt.  Scriba. 
Music. 

Infantry  under  Captains  Swartwout  and  Steddiford. 
Grenadiers  under  Capt.  Harsin. 
Col.  Bauman  at  the  head  of  the  Regiment  of  Artillery. 
Music. 

General  Malcolm  and  Aide. 
Officers  in  uniform,  not  on  duty. 
Committee  of  Congress. 
The  President,  and  Governor  Clinton. 
The  President's  suite. 
Officers  of  the  State. 
The  Mayor  and  Aldermen. 
The  French  and  Spanish  Ambassadors 
in  their  carriages. 
An  amazing  concourse  of  citizens. 

An  excellent  account  of  the  whole  ceremony  of  receiving 
the  President  is  to  be  found  in  a  fragment  of  a  letter  written 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams,  221 

at  the  time  by  Dr.  James  Loyd  Cogswell  and  published  in 
the  Historical  Magazine  for  August  i860,  which  reads  as  fol- 
lows: "  I  think  that  you  may  esteem  it  as  a  mark  of  no  small 
consideration  that  I  should  sit  down  between  six  and  seven 
o'clock  amidst  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  the  joy  that  pervades 
every  breast  upon  the  arrival  of  the  puissant  General  and  illus- 
trious President  Washington,  to  write  to  you  and  give  you 
some  account  (and  you  must  expect  but  a  very  faint  one)  of 
what  took  place  upon  his  arrival.  I  informed  you  last  night 
that  he  was  to  embark  at  Elizabeth  Town  this  day.  The 
time  he  embarked  was  announced  by  the  discharge  of  cannon 
at  Elizabeth  Town.  The  Spanish  .packet  fell  down  below 
the  Battery.  About  half  after  three,  the  General's  barge 
rowed  by  thirteen  men  in  uniform  passed  the  packet.  As 
soon  as  they  had  passed,  the  packet  fired  and  displayed  her 
colors.  The  General's  barge  had  an  awning  hung  round  with 
red  morene  curtains,  festooned.  It  was  attended  with  the 
New  Haven  and  Rhode  Island  packets  and  a  number  of  boats 
and  barges  decorated  in  the  most  beautiful  manner.  From 
the  Battery  to  the  Coffee  House,  where  the  General  landed, 
the  ships,  docks  and  houses  were  crowded  with  people  as 
thick  as  they  could  stand.  The  guns  of  the  Battery  were 
fired  as  soon  as  the  General  passed,  and  all  the  people  upon 
the  Battery  gave  three  huzzas.  The  cheers  were  continued 
along  the  Battery  unto  the  place  of  landing,  as  the  barge 
passed.  I  was  on  board  Capt.  Woolsey's  ship,  which  lies  in  the 
slip  by  the  Coffee  House,  and  had  a  very  fine  prospect.  The 
successive  motion  of  the  hats  from  the  Battery  to  the  Coffee 
House,  was  like  the  rolling  motion  of  the  sea,  or  a  field  of 
grain  waving  with  the  wind  when  the  sun  is  frequently  inter- 
cepted with  a  cloud.  A  pair  of  elegant  stairs,  with  the  sides 
covered  and  carpeted,  were  erected  to  land  the  General  safe 
upon  the  dock.  Immediately  upon  his  landing,  thirteen  guns 
were  fired  from  the  dock,  and  the  whole  city  rung  with  re- 
peated huzzas.  As  soon  as  he  had  landed  I  hastened  home, 
where  I  had  left  Mrs.  Broome  and  her  flock.  The  procession 
immediately  formed  and  proceeded  from  the  Coffee  House 
into  Queen  Street  and  then  to  the  President's  House.  The 


222 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Light  Infantry,  Grenadiers,  (I  should  have  mentioned  the 
light-horse  first),  and  train  of  artillery,  led  on  the  procession. 
The  officers  in  uniform,  not  on  duty,  followed.  The  General 
walked  after  them  at  the  right  hand  of  Governor  Clinton. 
Then  followed  the  principal  officers  of  state,  members  of  Con- 
gress, clergy  and  citizens.  The  General  was  dressed  in  blue, 
with  buff-colored  under-clothes.  The  procession  moved  very 
slow  and  with  great  solemnity.  The  windows,  stoops,  and 
streets  were  crowded,  the  latter  so  closely  you  might  have 
walked  upon  people's  heads  for  a  great  distance.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  exertion  of  the  guard  to  keep  the  crowd  off, 
they  were  so  wedged  in-  by  Embree's  corner  that  they  could 
not  move  for  some  time.  The  General  was  obliged  to  wipe 
his  eyes  several  times  before  he  got  into  Queen  Street.  After 
they  had  tarried  some  time  at  the  President's  house,  he  re- 
turned in  a  coach  and  dined  with  Governor  Clinton.  It  is 
now  half  after  nine  o'clock.  Since  I  began  this  letter  I  had  a 
call  to  visit  a  sick  person  in  Beaver  Street.  I  walked  up 
Queen  and  Wall  Streets  and  round  by  the  new  buildings 
back  through  Hanover  Square.  Every  house  is  illuminated 
except  those  of  the  Quakers.  The  appearance  is  brilliant  be- 
yond description.  Sir  Jno's  house  makes  a  grand  appearance. 
The  houses  in  Wall  Street  look  very  well,  City  Hall  in  par- 
ticular. The  new  buildings  of  McComb  and  Edgar  exceed 
any.  Notwithstanding  the  rain,  the  streets  were  filled  with 
men,  women  and  children.  A  great  variety  of  taste  has  been 
displayed  in  the  arrangement  of  candles — some  are  in  the 
form  of  a  pyramid — some  in  one  shape,  and  some  in  another. 
A  great  number  of  figures  and  curious  mottos  are  to  be  seen. 
Among  the  rest  one  at  Mr.  Scriba's  large  brick  house,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  the  Fly  Market,  took  my  attention  :  in  one  window  was 
a  building  supported  by  beautiful  columns,  with  the  names  of 
the  respective  States  upon  them,  supporting  it ;  on  a  window 
on  the  right  was  wrote  in  an  oval  neatly  decorated  'Vivat 
our  Illustrious  President  George  Washington;'  on  the  left  " 
 here  the  letter  ends.  Another  account  by  an  eye-wit- 
ness is  to  be  found  in  the  Diary  of  Miss  Eliza  Morton,  after- 
wards Mrs.  Josiah  Quincy,  who  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams. 


223 


in  1789  and  wrote  her  diary  in  1821  with  the  assistance  of  her 
mother  who,  at  the  time  of  writing,  was  83  years  of  age.  She 
writes :  "  After  the  Federal  Constitution  was  adopted,  I  re- 
member seeing  General  Washington  land  on  the  23rd  of  April 
1789,  and  make  his  entrance  into  New  York,  when  he  came  to 
take  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States.  I  was  at  a 
window  in  a  store  on  the  wharf  where  he  was  received.  Car- 
pets were  spread  to  the  carriage  prepared  for  him  ;  but  he  pre- 
ferred walking  through  the  crowded  streets,  and  was  attended 
by  Governor  Clinton  and  many  officers  and  gentlemen.  He 
frequently  bowed  to  the  multitude,  and  took  off  his  hat  to 
the  ladies  at  the  windows,  who  waved  their  handkerchiefs, 
threw  flowers  before  him,  and  shed  tears  of  joy  and  congratu- 
lation. The  whole  city  was  one  scene  of  triumphal  rejoicing. 
His  name  in  every  form  of  decoration  appeared  on  the  fronts 
of  the  houses  ;  and  the  street  through  which  he  passed  to  the 
Governor's  mansion  was  ornamented  with  flags,  silk  banners 
of  various  colours,  wreaths  of  flowers,  and  branches  of  ever- 
greens. Never  did  any  one  enjoy  such  a  triumph  as  Wash- 
ington, who,  indeed,  'read  his  history  in  a  nation's  eyes.'" 
On  the  following  day  the  editor  of  the  Daily  Advertiser 
wrote:  "  On  this  great  occasion  the  hand  of  industry  was  sus- 
pended and  the  various  pleasures  of  the  capital  were  con- 
centred to  a  single  enjoyment.  Every  mind  was  filled  with 
one  idea  and  every  heart  swelled  with  one  emotion.  Ab- 
sorbed and  agitated  by  the  sentiment  which  our  adored  leader 
and  ruler  inspired,  the  printer  apprehends  that  he  cannot  with 
perfect  precision  describe  the  various  scene  of  splendour  which 
this  event  exhibited.  The  eye  could  not  rove  with  freedom 
through  the  various  parts  of  this  scene.  One  great  object  en- 
gaged it  and  WASHINGTON  arrested  and  fixed  its  gaze."  Mr. 
Fenno,  of  the  United  States  Gazette,  saw  and  heard  some  of 
the  pathetic  events  of  the  day,  and  wrote  :  "  Many  persons 
who  were  in  the  crowd  on  Thursday  were  heard  to  say  that 
they  should  now  die  contented — nothing  being  wanted  to 
complete  their  happiness,  previous  to  this  auspicious  period, 
but  the  sight  of  the  Savior  of  his  Country.  *  *  *  Some 
persons  advanced  in  years,  who  hardly  expected  to  see  the 


224 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


illustrious  President  of  the  United  States  till  they  should 
meet  him  in  Heaven,  were  in  the  concourse  on  Thursday,  and 
could  hardly  restrain  their  impatience  at  being  deprived  in  a 
measure  of  their  gratification  by  the  eagerness  of  the  multi- 
tudes of  children  and  young  people  who  probably  might  long 
enjoy  the  blessing." 

Washington's  own  feelings  upon  this  occasion,  as  recorded 
in  his  diary  and  quoted  by  Mr.  Irving,  were  these  :  "  The  dis- 
play of  boats  which  attended  and  joined  us  on  this  occasion, 
some  with  vocal  and  some  with  instrumental  music  on  board ; 
the  decorations  of  the  ships,  the  roar  of  cannon,  and  the  loud 
acclamations  of  the  people  which  rent  the  skies,  as  I  passed 
along  the  wharves,  filled  my  mind  with  sensations  as  painful 
(considering  the  reverse  of  this  scene,  which  may  be  the  case 
after  all  my  labors  to  do  good)  as  they  are  pleasing." 

By  a  curious  coincidence  the  23rd  of  April  1789 — the  day 
upon  which  Washington  made  this  triumphal  entry  into  New 
York  City — was  observed  in  Great  Britain  as  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving for  the  recovery  of  his  mind  by  George  III.  whose  ob- 
stinate folly  had  resulted  in  the  independence  of  the  nation 
over  which  Washington  was  to  preside.  The  procession  on 
the  23rd  of  April  dispersed  at  the  President's  house,  but  he 
there  received  the  congratulations  of  a  number  of  distinguished 
gentlemen,  after  which  he  was  quietly  driven  to  Governor 
Clinton's  house  to  dine.  On  the  10th  of  March  1789  the 
Governor  had  written  to  him  inviting  him  to  reside  with  him 
after  his  arrival  in  New  York  until  he  could  arrange  for  a 
residence  of  his  own,  but  Washington  declined  the  invitation 
on  the  ground  that  no  private  family  should  be  so  burdened 
and  that  it  would  not  be  proper  for  him  to  impose  upon  an 
individual  when  supported  at  public  expense.  He  then  wrote 
to  Mr.  Madison  requesting  him  to  obtain  lodgings  for  him  or 
rooms  in  a  tavern  in  which  he  might  give  entertainments 
worthy  of  his  position.  The  matter,  however,  was  settled  by 
the  request  of  Congress  to  Mr.  Osgood  to  fit  up  for  the 
President's  use  the  house,  No.  3  Cherry  Street,  which  had 
been  used  by  former  Presidents  of  Congress.  This  house  had 
been  built  in  1770  by  Walter  Franklin,  an  old  merchant  in 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  225 


the  city,  and  upon  his  death  had  passed  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Samuel  Osgood,  who  was  appointed  Post-master 
General  in  September  1789.  It  stood  on  the  north  side  of 
Cherry  Street  several  doors  east  of  the  present  Franklin 
Square  which  received  its  name  in  March  181 7  in  honor  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  its  former  appellation  having  been  St. 
George's  Square.  The  house  was  square,  five  windows  wide, 
and  three  stories  high,  but  was  neither  very  spacious  nor  con- 
veniently situated.  On  the  25th  of  July  persons  having  ac- 
counts for  goods  furnished  or  repairs  made  to  this  house  were 
notified  to  present  them  to  Andrew  G.  Fraunces  at  No.  69 
Crown  (Liberty)  Street  near  the  bathing-house  in  the  North 
River.  The  President  removed  from  Cherry  Street  to  the 
McComb  house  on  Broadway  in  1790.  The  Franklin  house 
was  in  after  years  used  as  a  music  store  and  by  the  Franklin 
Bank,  and  was  demolished  in  the  summer  of  1856,  at  which 
time  the  chair  now  used  by  the  President  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society  was  constructed  from  its  materials.  The 
first  visit  of  congratulation  which  Washington  received  in  this 
house  was  that  of  the  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
who,  with  John  Broome  at  their  head,  marched  thither  on  the 
25th  of  April  1789,  and  congratulated  him  upon  his  election 
and  arrival  and  pledged  the  support  of  the  Chamber  to  his 
administration.  He  briefly  thanked  the  visitors,  after  which 
every  member  of  the  Chamber  was  introduced  to  him. 

On  the  day  of  the  President's  arrival,  the  question  of  the 
title  by  which  he  was  to  be  addressed  and  the  time,  place,  and 
manner  in  which,  and  by  whom  the  oath  of  office  should  be 
administered  to  him,  was  entrusted  by  the  Senate  to  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  Richard  Henry  Lee  of  Virginia,  Ralph 
Izard  of  South  Carolina,  and  Tristram  Dalton  of  Massachu- 
setts. On  the  25th  of  April  the  House  appointed  a  similar 
committee,  consisting  of  Egbert  Benson  of  New  York,  Fisher 
Ames  of  Massachusetts,  and  Daniel  Carroll  of  Maryland,  to 
confer  with  that  of  the  Senate.  The  question  of  the  Presi- 
dent's title  was  one  which  vexed  Congress  for  a  number  of 
weeks,  the  Senate  wishing  to  call  him  "  His  Highness  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  Protector  of  their  Liber- 
15 


226 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ties,"  while  the  House  refused  to  give  him  any  other  title 
than  that  used  in  the  Constitution,  "  The  President  of  the 
United  States."  Washington's  own  desire  was  to  be  called 
"  His  Mightiness  the  President  of  the  United  States,"  and  he 
is  said  to  have  never  forgiven  Mr.  Muhlenberg,  the  Speaker 
of  the  House,  for  some  facetious  remarks  concerning  that  title. 
The  matter  was  not  settled  until  after  the  inauguration,  the 
last  step  taken  in  it  being  the  appointment  of  conference  com- 
mittees which  never  made  a  final  report.  The  other  matters 
were  arranged  by  a  report  of  the  committees  on  the  25th  of 
April  to  the  effect  that  the  President  placed  himself  in  the 
hands  of  Congress,  and  that  it  appeared  to  be  best  that  the 
oath  should  be  administered  on  Thursday  April  30th  in  the 
Representatives  Chamber  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  President  was  to  be  received  by  both  Houses 
in  the  Senate  Chamber  and  then  escorted  by  them  to  the 
Representatives  Chamber,  which  was  more  spacious.  The 
committees  also  recommended  that  the  whole  arrangement 
of  the  inauguration  ceremony  be  placed  in  charge  of  a  joint 
committee,  of  which  they  were  at  once  re-appointed  as  mem- 
bers. On  the  same  day  Bishop  Provoost  was  chosen  as  chap- 
lain by  the  Senate  and  signified  his  acceptance  of  the  office ; 
there  were  to  be  two  chaplains  of  Congress,  who  were  to  be 
of  different  denominations  and  to  officiate  during  alternate 
weeks  in  the  Senate  and  House,  but  the  House  did  not  elect 
Dr.  Linn  until  the  1st  of  May,  his  election  then  causing  con- 
siderable bitterness  on  the  part  of  the  followers  of  Dr.  Rod- 
gers  who  was  also  a  candidate  for  the  office.  On  the  27th  of 
April,  the  committee  of  arrangement  reported  that  it  appeared 
to  be  better  that  the  oath  should  be  administered  in  the  outer 
gallery  adjoining  the  Senate  Chamber  rather  than  in  the 
Representatives  Chamber,  and  their  report  was  approved. 
They  also  recommended  that,  after  the  administration  of  the 
oath,  the  President  attended  by  the  Vice-President,  Senate, 
and  House  of  Representatives,  should  proceed  to  St.  Paul's 
Chapel  where  divine  service  should  be  performed  by  the  chap- 
lains of  Congress  already  appointed.  The  House  changed  the 
words  "  chaplains  of  Congress  already  appointed  "  to  "  chap- 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams. 


227 


lain  of  Congress,"  and  this  plan  was  agreed  to.  The  official 
programme  was  prepared  on  the  29th  of  April,  its  first  provi- 
sion being  the  appointment  of  Gen.  Samuel  B.  Webb,  Col. 
Smith,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Fish,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Franks, 
Major  L'Enfant,  Major  Bleecker,  and  Mr.  John  R.  Livingston 
to  act  as  assistants  on  the  occasion,  it  being  their  duty  to  keep 
the  passages  to  Federal  Hall  open,  and  to  obtain  the  service  of 
the  constables  or  militia.  All  of  these  gentlemen  apparently 
accepted  this  appointment,  with  the  exception  of  Major  L'En- 
fant, who  declined  it.  A  chair  for  the  President  (which  is  now 
in  the  City  Hall)  was  to  be  placed  in  the  Senate  Chamber, 
with  one  for  the  Vice-President  at  his  right,  and  one  for  the 
Speaker  at  his  left  hand,  the  Senators  to  sit  opposite  their 
presiding  officer  and  the  Representatives  opposite  the  Speaker. 
Seats  were  also  to  be  provided  in  the  Senate  Chamber  for 
Cyrus  Griffin,  late  President  of  Congress;  Gen.  Arthur  St. 
Clair,  Governor  of  the  Western  Territory;  John  Jay,  Secre- 
tary for  Foreign  Affairs;  Gen.  Henry  Knox,  Secretary  for 
War ;  Samuel  Osgood,  Arthur  Lee,  and  Walter  Livingston, 
Commissioners  of  the  Treasury ;  The  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
of  France  ;  the  Encargado  de  Negocios  of  Spain ;  the  Gov- 
ernor, Lieut.  Governor,  Chancellor,  Chief  Justice  and  Judges 
of  the  New  York  Supreme  Court ;  and  the  Mayor  of  the  city. 
One  of  the  Assistants  was  to  wait  upon  these  gentlemen  and 
to  inform  them  that  no  precedence  of  seats  was  intended,  and 
that  no  salutation  was  expected  from  them  upon  entering  or 
leaving  the  Senate  Chamber.  The  committees  were  to  escort 
the  President  from  his  residence  to  the  Senate  Chamber,  to 
be  there  received  by  the  Vice-President,  the  Senators  and 
Representatives  rising,  and  to  be  conducted  to  his  chair  by 
the  Vice-President.  Upon  his  going  to  the  gallery  to  take  the 
oath  he  was  to  pass  through  the  middle  door,  attended  by  the 
Vice-President  and  followed  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  the  Senators  passing  through  the  door  upon  the 
right  and  the  Representatives  through  that  upon  the  left  hand. 
Other  persons  who  had  been  admitted  to  the  Senate  Chamber 
were  then  to  enter  the  gallery,  if  they  so  wished,  by  the  right 
hand  door.    Pews  in  St.  Paul's  Chapel  were  to  be  reserved 


228 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


for  the  President,  Vice-President,  Speaker,  Committees,  Sena- 
tors and  Representatives.  After  the  service  the  President 
was  to  be  received  at  the  door  of  the  church  by  the  commit- 
tees and  escorted  by  them  in  carriages  to  his  residence. 

The  aggregation  of  exciting  events  in  the  city  during  the 
week  in  which  the  inauguration  took  place  exceeded  any 
since  the  departure  of  the  British  in  1783.  A  bitterly  con- 
tested State  election  on  Tuesday  and  a  presidential  inaugura- 
tion on  Thursday  combined  to  turn  it  topsy-turvy.  Strangers 
poured  in  from  all  directions  and  more  than  exhausted  the  ac- 
commodations which  the  city  could  offer.  And  yet,  if  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  inhabiting  Manhattan  Island  in  1789 
assembled  to  do  honor  to  Washington,  their  number  did  not 
exceed  that  to  be  found  in  the  political  processions  by  which 
a  small  portion  of  the  population  displays  its  party-spirit  in 
our  own  time. 

A  few  days  before  the  inauguration,  the  ministers  of  the 
city  churches,  with  the  exception  of  Bishop  Provoost,  ar- 
ranged to  hold  services  at  the  same  hour  in  all  the  churches 
on  the  morning  of  the  day  of  the  inauguration.  The  bishop 
aroused  sneers  in  certain  quarters  by  very  properly  stating 
that  he  would  wait  to  see  what  arrangement  the  Government 
would  make  with  regard  to  public  service.  The  proposal  to 
have  a  display  of  fireworks  in  the  evening  was  looked  upon 
with  some  alarm  because  of  the  danger  of  fire  and  accident. 
Before  Washington  reached  Philadelphia,  on  his  way  to  New 
York,  he  had  been  requested  by  some  Philadelphians  to  use 
his  influence  against  a  similar  exhibition  in  that  city,  but  had 
declined  on  the  ground  that  the  matter  was  one  to  be  settled 
by  the  citizens  themselves.  The  same  fear  also  prevailed  in 
New  York,  and  a  request  was  published  in  one  of  the  news- 
papers that  citizens  would  not  bring  their  horses  into  the 
crowd  watching  the  fireworks,  as,  on  a  former  occasion,  a  life 
had  been  lost  through  the  reckless  driving  of  a  coach. 

At  sunrise  on  the  30th  of  April  1789  a  salute  was  fired 
from  the  Battery  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  services, 
which  lasted  for  about  an  hour,  were  held  in  all  the  churches. 
About  twelve  o'clock  Congress  assembled  at  Federal  Hall 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams. 


229 


and  the  procession  which  was  to  escort  Washington  thither 
formed  there  and  proceeded  to  his  house  in  the  following 
order : 

Troop  of  Horse. 
Assistants. 
Committee  of  Representatives. 
Committee  of  Senators. 
Gentlemen  to  be  admitted  into  Senate  Chamber. 
Gentlemen  in  Coaches. 
Citizens  on  foot. 

At  his  house  the  President  joined  the  procession  in  a  car- 
riage drawn  by  four  horses  and  it  returned  to  Federal  Hall  by 
way  of  Queen  and  Great  Dock  (Pearl)  Streets  to  Broad 
Street  and  up  the  latter  to  Wall  Street  in  the  following 
order : 

Col.  Morgan  Lewis,  attended  by  two  officers. 
Capt.  Stakes  with  the  Troop  of  Horse. 
Artillery. 
Major  Van  Horne. 
Grenadiers  under  Capt.  Harsin. 
German  Grenadiers  under  Capt.  Scriba. 
Major  Bicker. 
Infantry  of  the  Brigade. 
Major  Chrystie. 
Sheriff  Boyd  on  horseback. 


Q  !  Committee  of  the  Senate 


£  ^Assistants,  i  The  President.) 
£  (His  Suite.  j 

w  J  Committee  of  Represent 


Assistants. 


Committee  of  Representatives. 
Hon.  John  Jay. 
General  Knox. 
Chancellor  Livingston. 
Several  gentlemen  of  distinction. 

When  the  head  of  the  procession  reached  Federal  Hall 
the  troops  opened  their  ranks,  through  which  the  President 
entered  the  building.  The  details  of  the  proceedings  within 
the  Hall  are  best  described  in  the  Senate  Journal,  as  follows : 
"  Mr.  Lee,  in  behalf  of  the  committee  appointed  to  take  order 
for  conducting  the  ceremonial  of  the  formal  reception,  &c,  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  having  informed  the  Sen- 


230 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


ate  that  the  same  was  adjusted,  the  House  of  Representatives 
were  notified  that  the  Senate  were  ready  to  receive  them  in  the 
Senate  Chamber  to  attend  the  President  of  the  United  States 
while  taking  the  oath  required  by  the  Constitution.  Where- 
upon the  House  of  Representatives,  preceded  by  their  Speaker, 
came  into  the  Senate  Chamber  and  took  the  seats  assigned 
them  ;  and  the  joint  committee  preceded  by  their  chairman, 
agreeably  to  order,  introduced  the  President  of  the  United 
States  into  the  Senate  Chamber,  where  he  was  received  by 
the  Vice-President,  who  conducted  him  to  the  Chair,  when 
the  Vice-President  informed  him  that  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  were  ready  to  attend 
him  to  take  the  oath  required  by  the  Constitution  and  that 
it  would  be  administered  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  To  which  the  President  replied  that  he  was 
ready  to  proceed,  and  being  attended  to  the  gallery  in  front 
of  the  Senate  Chamber  by  the  Vice-President  and  Senators, 
the  Speaker  and  Representatives,  and  the  other  public  char- 
acters present,  the  oath  was  administered.  After  which  the 
Chancellor  proclaimed,  '  Long  live  George  Washington,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.'"  The  oath  or  affirmation  required 
of  the  President  by  the  Constitution  is  "  I  do  solemnly  swear 
(or  affirm)  that  I  will  faithfully  execute  the  office  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability 
preserve,  protect,  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States."  The  taking  of  the  oath  by  Washington  was  an  act 
the  solemnity  of  which  made  the  deepest  impression  both  upon 
him  and  upon  those  who  witnessed  it.  One  of  the  latter 
writes  :  "  It  would  seem  extraordinary  that  the  administration 
of  an  oath — a  ceremony  so  very  common  and  familiar — should 
in  so  great  a  degree  excite  the  public  curiosity.  But  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  election — -the  impression  of  his  past  circum- 
stances— the  concourse  of  spectators — the  devout  fervency 
with  which  he  repeated  the  oath — and  the  reverential  manner 
in  which  he  bowed  down  and  kissed  the  sacred  volume — all 
these  conspired  to  render  it  one  of  the  most  august  and  inter- 
esting spectacles  ever  exhibited  on  this  globe.  It  seemed 
from  the  number  of  witnesses  to  be  a  solemn  appeal  to  heaven 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  231 

and  earth  at  once.  Upon  the  subject  of  this  great  and  good 
man,  I  may,  perhaps,  be  an  enthusiast ;  but  I  confess  that  I 
was  under  an  awful  and  religious  persuasion  that  the  gracious 
Ruler  of  the  universe  was  looking  down,  at  that  moment, 
with  peculiar  complacency  on  an  act  which  to  a  part  of  his 
creatures  was  very  important.  Under  this  impression,  when 
the  chancellor  pronounced,  in  a  very  feeling  manner,  1  Long 
live  George  Washington,'  my  sensibility  was  wound  up  to 
such  a  pitch  that  I  could  do  no  more  than  wave  my  hat  with 
the  rest,  without  the  power  of  joining  in  the  repeated  acclama- 
tions which  rent  the  air."  The  contemporary  accounts  of  the 
scene  when  Washington  took  the  oath  are  few  in  number  and 
those  which  have  been  printed  are  not  very  satisfactory.  It 
is  said  that  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke  wrote  a  description  of 
the  event  to  friends  in  Virginia  which  was  a  model  in  that 
style  of  writing,  but  the  letter  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
printed  although  it  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand  in  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  it  was  received.  William  Dunlap  was  also 
present  at  the  time  and  in  after  years  inserted  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  the  ceremony  in  his  History  of  New  York,  and  it  is 
said  that  his  portfolio  contained  sketches  of  the  scene,  contain- 
ing figures  and  costumes  as  he  saw  them.  Another  person 
who  was  present  was  Dr.  W.  W.  Buchanan,  who  was  a  godson 
of  Washington,  having  been  baptized  in  his  arms  at  Morris- 
town,  N.  J.,  on  the  4th  of  June  1777.  In  a  letter  written 
from  Scotland  in  i860  and  published  in  the  Historical  Maga- 
zine for  May  in  that  year,  Dr.  Buchanan  states :  "  In  those 
days  the  corner  house  of  Wall  and  Broad  Streets  was  entered 
from  Broad  Street,  and  was  a  police  office  and  watch-house. 
From  its  stoop  I  witnessed  the  oath  of  office  administered  by 
Chancellor  Livingston  to  George  Washington.  The  next 
house  was  occupied  by  a  rush-bottom  chairmaker.  A  door  or 
two  below  that,  left  hand  side,  was  the  Nestor  of  our  profes- 
sion, the  venerable  doctor  Anthon,  and  a  door  or  two  lower 
still  was  Mrs.  McLean's."  The  best  account  is  that  given  in 
Mrs.  Quincy's  diary,  although  written  a  number  of  years  after 
the  event  :  "  On  the  30th  of  April,  when  Washington  took 
the  oath  of  office  as  President  of  the  United  States,  the  cere- 


232 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


mony  took  place  in  the  balcony  of  the  Old  Federal  Hall,  as 
it  was  afterwards  named,  which  stood  in  the  centre  of  four 
streets.  I  was  on  the  roof  of  the  first  house  in  Broad  Street, 
which  belonged  to  Captain  Prince,  the  father  of  one  of  my 
school  companions ;  and  so  near  to  Washington  that  I  could 
almost  hear  him  speak.  The  windows  and  roofs  of  the  houses 
were  crowded  ;  and  in  the  streets  the  throng  was  so  dense, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  one  might  literally  walk  on  the  heads  of 
the  people.  The  balcony  of  the  hall  was  in  full  view  of  this 
assembled  multitude.  In  the  centre  of  it  was  placed  a  table, 
with  a  rich  covering  of  red  velvet ;  and  upon  this  on  a  crimson 
velvet  cushion,  lay  a  large  and  elegant  Bible.  This  was  all 
the  paraphernalia  for  the  august  scene.  All  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  balcony ;  where,  at  the  appointed  hour,  Washing- 
ton entered,  accompanied  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  who  was  to  administer  the  oath;  by  John  Adams, 
the  Vice-President ;  Governor  Clinton  ;  and  many  other  dis- 
tinguished men.  By  the  great  body  of  the  people  he  had 
probably  never  been  seen,  except  as  a  military  hero.  The  first 
in  war  was  now  to  be  first  in  peace.  His  entrance  upon  the 
balcony  was  announced  by  universal  shouts  of  joy  and  wel- 
come. His  appearance  was  most  solemn  and  dignified.  Ad- 
vancing to  the  front  of  the  balcony,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  his 
heart,  bowed  several  times,  and  then  retired  to  an  arm  chair 
near  the  table.  The  populace  appeared  to  understand  that 
the  scene  had  overcome  him,  and  were  at  once  hushed  in  pro- 
found silence.  After  a  few  moments,  Washington  arose  and 
came  forward.  Chancellor  Livingston  read  the  oath  accord- 
ing to  the  form  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  ;  and  Wash- 
ington repeated  it,  resting  his  hand  upon  the  Bible.  Mr. 
Otis,  the  Secretary  of  the  Senate,  then  took  the  Bible  to 
raise  it  to  the  lips  of  Washington,  who  stooped  and  kissed  the 
book.  At  this  moment  a  signal  was  given,  by  raising  a  flag 
upon  the  cupola  of  the  Hall,  for  a  general  discharge  of  the 
artillery  of  the  Battery.  All  the  bells  in  the  city  rang  out  a 
peal  of  joy,  and  the  assembled  multitude  sent  forth  a  uni- 
versal shout.  The  President  again  bowed  to  the  people,  and 
then  retired  from  a  scene  such  as  the  proudest  monarch  never 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  233 


enjoyed.  Many  entertainments  were  given,  both  public 
and  private;  and  the  city  was  illuminated  in  the  evening." 
The  balcony  upon  which  the  ceremony  took  place,  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  was  decorated  with  a  canopy  and 
curtains  of  red  striped  with  white.  The  Bible  upon  which 
the  oath  was  taken  is  now  preserved  in  the  keeping  of  St. 
John's  masonic  lodge  in  this  city,  and  there  is  a  tradition,  or 
more  probably  a  mythical  legend,  to  the  effect  that,  at  the 
last  moment,  it  was  found  that  no  Bible  had  been  provided 
for  the  ceremony  and  that  this  one  was  hastily  obtained  from 
St.  John's  Lodge.  At  the  time  of  his  inauguration,  Washing- 
ton was  in  the  57th  year  of  his  age,  and  a  slight  description 
of  his  personal  appearance,  written  at  that  time,  reads : 
"  His  person  exhibits  everything  great  and  noble — he  is  up- 
wards of  six  feet  high  and  exceedingly  well  proportionate ;  he 
has  a  majestic  carriage,  serene  countenance,  and  dark  coloured 
hair,  but 

"  Now  pacing  time  begins  to  shed 
His  silver  blossoms  o'er  his  head." 

He  appeared  on  the  balcony  of  Federal  Hall  dressed  in  a 
dark-brown  suit,  with  white  silk  stockings  and  silver  shoe- 
buckles,  while  at  his  side  there  hung  a  steel-hilted  sword.  His 
hair  was  powdered  and  worn  in  a  queue  behind.  The  clothes 
which  he  wore  were  of  American  manufacture  and  were  prob- 
ably those  of  the  purchase  of  which  from  the  factory  at  Hart- 
ford he  speaks  in  a  letter  written  from  Mt.  Vernon  shortly 
before  coming  to  New  York.  The  fact  that  they  were  of  Am- 
erican make  was  considered  to  be  so  important  that  the  editor 
of  the  United  States  Gazette  specially  apologized  for  omitting 
to  mention  it  in  his  first  account  of  the  inauguration.  He 
states  that  they  were  of  a  homespun  fabric  so  fine  in  quality  as 
to  be  universally  mistaken  for  foreign  manufactured  superfine 
cloth,  and  that  the  Vice-President  also  appeared  in  a  suit  of 
American  cloth.    His  poetic  remarks  upon  the  subject  were : 

"  From  this  bright  Era,  see  Columbia  rise  ! 
Her  Empire  prop'd  by  him  who  arched  the  Skies ! 
Freedom  and  Independence — Arts  and  Peace, 
Shall  crown  the  Scene  till  Time  and  Nature  cease." 


234 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


After  taking  the  oath  of  office,  Washington  returned  to  his 
seat  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  and,  after  a  short  pause,  arose 
and  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  Of  this,  Fisher  Ames 
wrote  on  the  3rd  of  May :  "  He  addressed  the  two  houses  in 
the  senate  chamber ;  it  was  a  very  touching  scene,  and  quite 
of  the  solemn  kind  ;  his  aspect  grave,  almost  to  sadness  ;  his 
modesty  actually  shaking;  his  voice  deep,  a  little  tremulous, 
and  so  low  as  to  call  for  close  attention ;  added  to  the  series  of 
objects  presented  to  the  mind,  and  overwhelming  it,  it  pro- 
duced emotions  of  the  most  affecting  kind  upon  the  members. 
I,  Pilgarlic,  sat  entranced.  It  seemed  to  me  an  allegory  in 
which  virtue  was  personified,  and  addressing  those  whom  she 
would  make  her  votaries.  Her  power  over  the  heart  was 
never  greater,  and  the  illustration  of  her  doctrine  by  her  own 
example  was  never  more  perfect."  This  being  finished,  the 
President  and  Congress  proceeded  on  foot  to  St.  Paul's 
Chapel,  the  order  of  the  procession  being  : 

Troop  of  Horse. 
Infantry. 
Assistants. 

Doorkeeper  and  Messenger  of  Representatives. 
Clerk. 
Representatives. 

Speaker.  Constables 
an(j  President,  and  Vice-President  anj 

at  his  left  hand.  Marshals. 
President's  Suite. 
I  Senators. 

Secretary. 
Doorkeeper  and  Messenger  of  Senate. 
Gentlemen  admitted  into  Senate  Chamber. 
Sheriff. 
Citizens. 

The  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives  was  John 
Beckley,  and  its  Doorkeeper  and  Messenger  were  Gifford 
Dally  and  Thomas  Claxton.  The  Secretary  of  the  Senate 
was  Samuel  Alyne  Otis,  and  its  Doorkeeper  and  Messenger 
were  James  Mathers  and  Cornelius  Maxwell.  In  a  letter 
from  R  R  to  his  wife  in  Philadelphia,  dated  May  1st 


Constables 

and 
Marshals. 


George  Washington  a?id  John  Adams. 


235 


1789  and  published  in  the  Historical  Magazine  for  June  1859, 
the  writer  states  that  the  inaugural  ceremony  took  place  about 
one  o'clock,  and  mentions  the  following  incident  with  regard 
to  the  President :  "  On  his  way  to  the  church,  through  a  numer- 
ous collection  of  spectators  I  caught  his  eye,  and  had  the 
honor  of  a  very  gracious  bow  from  him  :  this  from  so  great  a 
man  in  so  high  a  station,  I  thought  myself  highly  honored  by." 
After  the  performance  of  divine  service  suitable  to  the  occa- 
sion by  Bishop  Provoost,  the  President  was  received  at  the 
door  of  the  church  by  the  joint  committee  of  Congress,  and 
attended  by  them  in  carriages  to  his  house.  The  Senate  re- 
turned to  the  Senate  Chamber  and  ordered  a  reply  to  the  in- 
augural address  to  be  prepared  by  William  Samuel  Johnson  of 
Connecticut,  William  Paterson  of  New  Jersey,  and  Charles 
Carroll  of  Maryland.  The  House  of  Representatives  had  al- 
ready adjourned  for  the  day.  In  the  evening  the  city  was 
ablaze  with  illuminations.  The  transparencies  which  were 
displayed  were  pronounced  to  be  at  least  equal  to  anything  of 
the  kind  ever  before  seen  in  America,  the  exhibition  at  the 
houses  of  the  Spanish  and  French  Ambassadors  being  of  es- 
pecial elegance.  The  residence  of  the  former  was  brilliantly 
illuminated,  and  with  its  flowers,  shrubbery,  emblems,  arches, 
and  moving  pictures  in  the  windows,  afforded  a  scene  of  great 
beauty.  The  French  Minister's  house  had  a  bordering  of 
lamps  around  the  windows  and  doors,  and  large  designs  in 
front.  At  the  Fort  there  was  displayed  a  finely  lighted  trans- 
parency upon  which  the  virtues  Fortitude,  Justice,  and  Wis- 
dom, were  severally  referred  to  Washington,  the  Senate,  and 
the  House  of  Representatives.  There  was  also  a  transparency 
at  the  Theatre,  and  near  the  corner  of  the  Fly  Market, — prob- 
ably at  the  house  of  George  Scriba.  In  Broad  Street  there 
appeared  a  fine  portrait  of  "  The  Father  of  his  Country." 
Federal  Hall  was  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  the  ship  North 
Carolina  appeared  like  a  pyramid  of  stars  in  the  harbor.  A 
display  of  fireworks  at  the  Fort,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Major  Bauman,  lasted  for  two  hours  and  included  rockets, 
wheels,  tourbillions,  fountains,  serpents,  cascades,  and  many 
other  pyrotechnic  devices. 


236 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


Having  thus  been  inaugurated,  Washington  at  once  turned 
his  attention  to  the  matter  of  the  social  etiquette  required  in 
his  office.  Lords  and  ladies  could  have  been  found  in  a  suffi- 
cient number  to  grace  a  royal  court,  but  their  hopes  in  that 
direction  were  to  be  disappointed.  On  the  5th  of  May  it  was 
announced  that  he  would  receive  visits  of  compliment  on  Tues- 
days and  Fridays  between  the  hours  of  two  and  three  in  the 
afternoon,  and  that  such  visits  on  other  days,  particularly  on 
Sunday,  would  not  be  agreeable  to  him.  It  was  thought  that 
public  business  would  so  occupy  his  time  that  he  would  be 
unable  to  return  visits  or  to  accept  invitations.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  it  was  also  stated  that  the  President  was  determined 
to  pursue  the  same  system  of  regularity  and  economy  which 
had  always  marked  the  management  of  his  household  affairs. 
The  steward  was  obliged  to  exhibit  weekly,  to  a  person 
appointed  by  the  President,  a  statement  of  monies  received 
and  paid  out,  together  with  bills  and  receipts.  At  the  same 
time  the  following  notice  appeared  :  1 '  Whereas  all  servants 
and  others  employed  to  procure  provisions  or  necessaries  for 
the  household  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  will  be 
furnished  with  monies  for  those  purposes  : — Notice  is  therefore 
given  that  no  accounts,  for  the  payment  of  which  the  public 
might  be  considered  responsible,  are  to  be  opened  with  any 
of  them.  Samuel  Fraunces,  Steward  of  the  Household."  It 
was  Washington's  desire  to  receive  no  salary  beyond  his  actual 
expenses,  and,  to  determine  the  amount  of  these,  a  very  strict 
account  of  household  expenses  was  kept  by  him  for  the  first 
four  months  of  his  residence  in  New  York.  His  total  expenses 
from  May  24th  to  August  24th  1789  amounted  to  ^"1741  9s., 
from  which  it  was  estimated  that  his  annual  expenditure  would 
be  £4925  7s.  or  about  $12,317.  His  household  consisted  of 
five  white  servants  who  received  seven  dollars  a  month  and 
liveries  costing  $29  each  ;  five  black  servants,  Will,  Austin, 
Giles,  Paris,  and  Christopher,  the  clothes  of  each  of  whom 
cost  $46  a  year ;  two  black  maids  who  each  received  $46  a 
year ;  a  housekeeper  at  eight  dollars  and  three  other  women 
at  five  dollars  a  month  ;  a  valet  at  $162  a  year,  and  the  stew- 
ard, who  received  $25  a  month.    The  salaries  of  his  secretary, 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  237 


assistant,  and  three  aides  amounted  in  all  to  $2000  a  year.  In 
October  1789  an  advertisement  appeared  in  the  newspapers  to 
the  effect  that  a  genteel  waiter  who  could  shaveand  dress  well, 
and  was  well  recommended  for  honesty,  sobriety  and  good 
dispositions,  would  meet  with  encouragement  by  applying  at 
the  house  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.  In  December 
another  advertisement  also  appeared,  in  large  type,  stating 
that  a  cook  and  a  coachman  were  wanted  by  the  family  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  there  seems  to  have  been 
some  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  services  of  satisfactory  officials 
of  that  sort,  as  the  advertisement  continued  to  appear  for  at 
least  a  month. 

On  the  morning  of  May  1st  Washington  received  visits 
from  the  Vice-President,  Governor,  Heads  of  Departments, 
Foreign  Ministers,  and  many  other  distinguished  persons,  and 
his  first  appearance  on  a  public  occasion  after  his  inauguration 
was  at  the  Commencement  of  Columbia  College  on  the  6th  of 
May.  On  the  following  evening  the  subscribers  to  the  Danc- 
ing Assembly  gave  a  ball  and  entertainment  in  his  honor  at 
which  he  was  present,  the  company  including  Mr.  Adams, 
most  of  the  members  of  both  branches  of  Congress,  Baron 
Steuben,  Marquis  de  Moustier,  Gen.  St.  Clair,  the  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Treasury,  Gov.  Clinton,  Chancellor  Livingston, 
Chief  Justice  Morris,  John  Jay,  Gen.  Knox,  Cyrus  Griffin, 
Mayor  Duane,  and  other  distinguished  personages  to  the 
number  of  about  three  hundred,  who  enjoyed  the  occasion 
until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Thomas  Jefferson 
was  responsible  for  the  circulation  of  a  derisive  account  of  this 
ball  in  which  Mrs.  Washington  is  mentioned  as  being  present, 
although  she  did  not  arrive  in  New  York  until  May  27th,  and 
in  which  the  antics  of  Mrs.  Knox  are  ridiculously  described, 
although  she  too  in  all  probability  was  not  present.  Her 
youngest  son,  master  George  Washington  Knox,  died  on  the 
16th  of  August  following.  At  this  entertainment,  which  has 
come  to  be  called  the  Inauguration  Ball  although  it  was  an 
entirely  private  affair,  the  President  is  said  to  have  danced 
with  Mrs.  Peter  Van  Brugh  Livingston,  Mrs.  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  Mrs.  James  Homer  Maxwell.    A  doubtful 


238 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


tradition,  recently  revived  from  a  statement  to  be  found  in 
Griswold's  American  Court,  relates  that  on  this  occasion  each 
lady  was  presented  with  an  elegant  fan  made  in  Paris  and 
adorned  with  an  admirable  portrait  of  Washington.  It  would 
have  taken  at  least  three  months  and  a  half  to  obtain  the  fans 
from  Paris,  and  it  is  more  than  doubtful  whether  all  the  shops  in 
New  York  in  1789  contained  one  hundred  and  fifty  fans  of  any 
elegance,  there  being  probably  that  number  of  ladies  present. 

On  the  1st  of  May  the  House  of  Representatives  ordered 
an  address  in  reply  to  Washington's  inaugural  speech  to  be 
prepared  by  James  Madison,  George  Clymer,  Roger  Sher- 
man, George  Gale,  and  Egbert  Benson,  and  upon  the  8th  of 
that  month  the  Speaker  and  House  presented  the  address  to 
him  in  a  room  adjoining  the  Representatives  Chamber.  The 
address  ordered  by  the  Senate  on  the  30th  of  April  was 
agreed  to  on  the  7th  of  May  but  for  some  reason  was  not  pre- 
sented to  the  President  until  the  18th  of  May,  when  the  Vice- 
President  and  Senate  waited  upon  him  at  his  house.  The 
Common  Council  had  prepared  an  address  of  welcome  to  him 
as  early  as  the  27th  of  April  and  had  then  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  learn  from  him  at  what  time  it  would  be  convenient 
for  him  to  receive  their  congratulations,  but  were  told  to 
wait  until  Congress  had  acted.  After  the  Representatives 
had  presented  their  address,  Col.  Humphreys,  on  the  8th  of 
May,  informed  the  Common  Council  that  they  could  present 
theirs  at  any  time,  and  on  the  9th  of  May  at  12  o'clock  they 
did  so  at  the  President's  house.  On  the  nth  of  May  he 
made  his  first  visit  to  the  John  Street  Theatre,  and  on  the 
14th  a  ball  was  given  in  his  honor  by  the  French  Ambassa- 
dor, at  which  the  Vice-President,  Governor,  many  Senators, 
Representatives,  and  other  distinguished  personages  were  also 
present.  On  the  15th  of  May  he  was  visited  by  the  Vice- 
President,  Heads  of  Departments,  Foreign  Ministers,  State 
Judges,  and  others,  and  on  the  22nd  a  ball  was  given  by  the 
Spanish  Ambassador,  but  the  President  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  present  at  it.  On  the  23rd  of  May  he  paid  a  visit 
to  Baron  Poelnitz'  farm  to  investigate  the  working  of  newly 
invented  agricultural  implements  and  various  improvements 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  239 


in  farming.  Among  the  novelties  was  the  cultivation  of 
madder,  woad,  and  artificial  grasses,  while  the  implements  in- 
cluded Winlaw's  threshing-machine  and  several  plows  for  dif- 
ferent purposes,  some  of  which  Baron  Poelnitz  held  himself. 
Washington  wras  especially  interested  in  a  machine  invented 
by  the  baron  for  ascertaining  the  exact  force  necessary  to  be 
applied  to  a  plow  in  drawing  it  through  any  kind  of  soil,  and 
he  was  so  pleased  with  the  working  of  a  horse-hoe  for  weed- 
ing vegetables,  that  he  ordered  one  to  be  made  for  use  at  Mt. 
Vernon.  On  the  18th  of  July  he  also  highly  commended 
models  of  machines  for  reaping  and  threshing  and  for  cutting 
and  deepening  canals,  which  were  exhibited  to  him  by  Henry 
Harbough  of  Baltimore. 

For  the  first  month  of  his  residence  in  New  York,  the  Pres- 
ident was  without  the  company  of  his  family,  but  on  the  17th 
of  May,  Mrs.  Washington  left  Mt.  Vernon  with  her  grand- 
children Eleanor  Custis  and  George  Washington  Parke  Custis 
to  join  him  in  New  York.  She  was  received  with  honor 
along  her  route,  and  one  remark  regarding  her  personal  ap- 
pearance when  in  Baltimore  was  as  follows  :  "We  shall  only 
add  that  like  her  illustrious  husband  she  was  clothed  in  the 
manufacture  of  our  own  country,  in  which  her  native  good- 
ness and  patriotism  appeared  to  the  greatest  advantage." 
She  was  expected  to  arrive  in  New  York  on  the  27th  of  May, 
and  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  that  day  the  President, 
accompanied  by  Robert  Morris  and  others,  set  out  to  meet 
her  at  Elizabethtown  Point  in  the  presidential  barge  manned 
by  thirteen  pilots  in  white  uniforms,  who  are  said  to  have 
rowed  the  fifteen  miles  in  fifty  minutes.  She  embarked  in  the 
barge  at  Elizabethtown  Point  at  about  half  past  twelve  and 
is  said  to  have  been  landed  at  Peck  Slip  in  seventy  minutes. 
She  was  not  expected  to  reach  the  City  until  about  four 
o'clock  and  the  militia  who  were  to  escort  her  were  therefore 
unprepared,  but  she  received  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns  when 
passing  the  Battery,  was  loudly  cheered  by  a  throng  of  citi- 
zens upon  her  arrival,  and  was  escorted  to  her  residence  by 
Governor  Clinton.  In  the  evening  a  few  rockets  were  fired 
in  her  honor.    On  the  28th  of  May  the  President  gave  a  din- 


240 


New  York  City  hi  1789. 


ner  at  which  the  guests  were  the  Vice-President,  the  Foreign 
Ministers,  the  Heads  of  Departments,  the  Speaker,  and  Sena- 
tors James  Gunn  and  William  Few  of  Georgia  and  John 
Langdon  and  Paine  Wingate  of  New  Hampshire.  On  the 
evening  of  May  29th  Mrs.  Washington  gave  her  first  recep- 
tion which  was  attended  by  Lady  Stirling,  Lady  Mary  Watts, 
Lady  Kitty  Duer,  the  ladies  of  the  most  honorable  Mr.  Lang- 
don and  Mr.  Dalton,  Madame  de  la  Forest,  Mrs.  James 
Thompson  and  her  daughter  Mrs.  Elbridge  Gerry,  and  many 
other  ladies.  Mrs.  Elbridge  Gerry  was  the  daughter  of 
James  Thomson  and  Catherine  Walton,  and  was  not  the 
daughter  of  Charles  Thomson,  secretary  of  Congress,  and 
Hannah  Harrison,  as  has  been  erroneously  stated  in  bio- 
graphical dictionaries  and  historical  magazines.  Soon  after 
her  arrival  the  hour  for  the  President's  levee  was  changed 
from  two  to  three  o'clock  for  the  convenience  of  public  offi- 
cials, and  Mrs.  Washington  held  a  reception  every  Friday 
evening  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock.  It  was  impossible  to 
please  every  one  in  the  matter  of  social  arrangements,  one 
point  of  attack  being  the  fact  that  visiting  the  President  at 
his  reception  was  spoken  of  as  "  waiting  upon  the  President 
at  his  levee."  The  following  was  also  published  in  the  N.  Y. 
Journal  of  July  2nd  1789,  "  As  a  number  of  the  most  inveter- 
ate enemies  to  the  Independence  of  this  country,  attend  at 
every  Levee  of  our  Illustrious  Chief ;  an  Old  Soldier  asks 
from  what  authority  they  come  into  the  presence  of  the  father 
of  his  country,  attired  in  Garments  stained  with  the  blood  of 
departed  prisoners." 

Mrs.  Washington's  first  public  appearance,  outside  of  her 
own  house,  seems  to  have  been  on  the  5th  of  June,  when  she 
attended  the  theatre  with  her  husband.  According  to  her 
own  account  her  life  in  New  York  was  very  dull.  In  one  of 
her  letters,  dated  October  22nd  1789  and  reproduced  in 
"  Curiosities  of  American  History,"  she  writes  :  "  I  lead  a 
very  dull  life  here  and  know  nothing  that  passes  in  the  town. 
I  never  goe  to  any  publick  place, — indeed  I  think  I  am  more 
like  a  state  prisoner  than  anything  else,  there  is  certain 
bounds  set  for  me  which  I  must  not  depart  from — and  as  I 
cannot  doe  as  I  like  I  am  obstinate  and  stay  at  home  a  great 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams,  241 

deal."  She,  however,  had  admirers,  of  whom  Samuel  John- 
son of  North  Carolina  was  certainly  one.  In  a  letter  dated 
New  York,  March  4th  1790,  he  writes  :  "  \  have  just  left  the 
President's  where  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  almost 
every  member  of  the  Senate.  We  had  some  excellent  cham- 
pagne, and,  after  it,  I  had  the  honour  of  drinking  coffee  with 
his  Lady,  a  most  amiable  woman.  If  I  live  much  longer  I  be- 
lieve that  I  shall  at  last  be  reconciled  to  the  company  of  old 
women  for  her  sake,  a  circumstance  which  I  once  thought 
impossible.  I  have  found  them  generally  so  censorious  and 
envious  that  I  could  never  bear  their  company.  This,  among 
other  reasons,  made  me  marry  a  woman  much  younger  than 
myself,  lest  I  should  hate  her  when  she  grew  old  ;  but  I  now 
really  believe  that  there  are  some  good  old  women." 

A  letter  dated  New  York,  June  6th  1789,  and  afterwards 
printed  in  a  London  newspaper,  was  to  the  following  effect 
and  may  have  been  true,  although  the  New  York  newspapers 
apparently  make  no  mention  of  the  circumstance  :  "  His  Ex- 
cellency General  Washington  our  new  Congressional  Presi- 
dent, and  perhaps  I  might  add  Dictator  of  America  for  life, 
gave  a  very  sumptuous  entertainment  on  Thursday  the  4th,  on 
account  of  the  recovery  of  his  Majesty  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  ;  the  Envoys  of  England,  France,  Holland,  and  Portu- 
gal, and  persons  of  the  first  distinction  were  present.  This 
very  handsome  respect  to  the  British  Monarch,  will  doubtless 
be  received  as  it  deserves."  Washington's  social  activity, 
however,  was  cut  short  in  June  by  sickness  caused  by  a  malig- 
nant carbuncle,  which  compelled  him  to  lie  on  one  side  for 
six  weeks  and  troubled  him  for  a  much  longer  time.  At  one 
time  in  June  his  illness  was  so  severe  that  a  chain  was 
stretched  across  the  street  in  front  of  his  house  to  prevent 
the  passage  of  vehicles,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Bard  was  in  constant 
attendance  upon  him  for  several  days.  By  the  4th  of  July, 
however,  he  was  able  to  stand  in  the  doorway  to  review  the 
militia  and  on  the  28th  of  July  appeared  at  the  levee,  but  gave 
only  one  levee  a  week  for  some  time.  This  was  evidently 
considered  by  some  to  be  sufficient  dissipation,  for  the  corre- 
spondent of  a  Boston  newspaper  wrote  on  the  1st  of  August, 
16 


242 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


"  Our  beloved  President  stands  unmoved  in  the  vortex  of  folly 
and  dissipation  which  the  city  of  New  York  presents."  In  July 
he  was  presented  with  an  address  of  congratulation  from  the 
officers  of  Washington  College  in  Maryland,  and  on  the  4th 
of  August  received  a  similar  address  which  had  been  adopted 
by  the  New  York  Legislature  at  Albany  on  the  15th  of  July. 
Addresses  from  all  of  the  religious  denominations  were  also 
presented  to  him  at  the  various  times  when  their  annual  gen- 
eral conventions  were  held,  and  brief  replies  were  made  to  all. 

On  the  1st  of  September  he  received  the  news  of  the 
death  of  his  mother  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  on  the  25th  of 
August,  in  the  83rd  year  of  her  age.  His  father  had  died  on 
the  1 2th  of  April  1 743.  His  mother's  death  caused  a  brief 
cessation  of  the  President's  levees  and  he  and  his  family  put 
on  "American  mourning  "  recommended  by  a  resolution  of 
Congress,  passed  on  the  20th  of  October  1774,  as  follows  : 
"  On  the  death  of  any  relation  or  friend,  none  of  us,  or  any  of 
our  families,  will  go  into  any  further  mourning-dress  than  a 
black  crape  or  ribbon  on  the  arm  or  hat,  for  gentlemen,  and 
a  black  ribbon  or  necklace  for  ladies,  and  we  will  discontinue 
the  giving  of  gloves  and  scarves  at  funerals."  This  resolution 
had  been  passed  in  the  interest  of  economy  and  for  the  pur- 
pose of  curtailing  importations  from  Great  Britain  ;  but,  if 
ever  followed  in  New  York  City,  it  had  ceased  to  be  observed 
there  some  years  before  1789,  it  being  then  the  custom  for  the 
pallbearers  and  minister  to  receive  scarves  at  funerals  and  to 
wear  them  to  church  on  the  following  Sunday.  The  minis- 
ters' scarves,  at  least,  were  ultimately  made  into  shirts.  Some 
of  the  members  of  Congress,  however,  appeared  at  the  Presi- 
dent's first  levee  after  his  mother's  death,  wearing  mourning 
similar  to  that  worn  by  his  family. 

Congress  adjourned  on  the  29th  of  September  to  meet 
again  on  the  first  Monday  in  January  1790,  and  at  its  last  sit- 
ting, recommended  that  the  President  issue  a  proclamation  for 
a  day  of  thanksgiving,  which  he  did  on  the  3rd  of  October 
fixing  upon  Thursday,  November  26th,  as  the  date  for  it. 
This  action  was  criticised  as  infringing  upon  the  prerogatives 
of  the  Governors  of  the  States,  but  the  discussion  of  the  sub- 
ject in  the  newspapers  did  not  appear  to  meet  with  popular 


George  Washington  and  John  Adams.  243 

approval.  On  the  9th  of  October,  the  President  had  a  part- 
ing visit  from  the  French  Ambassador,  who  sailed  for  France 
about  the  12th  of  October,  and  on  the  15th  of  October  he 
himself  started  out  upon  a  tour  of  the  New  England  States. 
According  to  one  who  witnessed  his  reception  in  one  of  the 
towns  upon  his  route,  Washington  travelled  in  a  post  chaise 
drawn  by  four  bay  horses  driven  by  postillions  dressed  in 
blanket-coats,  liveries,  jockey  caps,  buckskins,  and  boots.  Col. 
Lear  rode  on  one  side  of  the  chaise  and  Major  Jackson  on  the 
other,  while  following  it  was  a  light  baggage-wagon  driven  by 
a  man  in  a  round  corduroy  jacket,  glazed  hat,  buckskins,  and 
boots.  In  the  rear  there  rode  on  horseback  Washington's 
colored  attendant,  Billy,  leading  his  white  charger.  The  Pres- 
ident rode  into  the  towns  in  his  chaise  and  took  his  depart- 
ure from  them  on  horseback.  While  in  New  York  he  did  a 
great  deal  of  walking,  took  longer  expeditions  on  horseback, 
and  upon  special  occasions  appeared  in  a  canary-colored  coach 
drawn  by  four  white  horses,  and  attended  by  his  secretaries 
Col.  Tobias  Lear  and  Major  William  Jackson  on  horseback. 
There  was  apparently  no  stable  connected  with  his  house  in 
Cherry  Street  as  his  horses  were  kept  at  a  livery-stable  at  an 
expense  of  about  eighty  dollars  a  month  for  all  of  them. 

He  returned  from  this  eastern  trip  on  the  13th  of  Novem- 
ber and  there  was  apparently  no  demonstration  made  upon  his 
arrival  in  the  city,  as  "  Rusticus "  wrote  in  the  Daily  Ad- 
vertiser : 

"  From  Eastern  climes  where  smiling  genius  reigns, 
And  freedom's  rays  illume  the  happy  plains, 
Behold  our  Chief  !  with  placid  brow  serene, 

Returned  to  grace  the  soft  domestic  scene  : 
The  worthy  patriot !  shun'd  a  vain  parade, 
And,  unattended,  sought  the  silent  shade." 

The  Vice-President  had  departed  for  his  home  in  Brain- 
tree,  Mass.,  on  the  13th  of  October  and  did  not  return  until 
the  first  week  in  December. 

On  the  24th  of  November  the  President  visited  the  theatre 
and  on  the  26th  attended  service  at  St.  Paul's,  where  there  was 
a  very  small  congregation  owing  to  the  bad  weather.    On  the 


244 


New  York  City  in  1789. 


same  day  he  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  imprisoned  debtors 
by  making  a  gift  of  fifty  guineas  to  the  society  which  furnished 
them  with  food  that  was  eatable.  On  the  30th  of  November 
he  again  visited  the  theatre,  and  in  December,  gave  sittings  to 
Mr.  Savage  for  his  portrait.  On  the  1st  of  January  1790  he 
expressed  the  greatest  pleasure  at  the  New  York  manner  of 
celebrating  that  day. 

The  New  York  of  1789  was  a  small  and  plain  city.  Not 
until  1830  does  the  United  States  Census  show  an  excess  in 
the  number  of  its  inhabitants  over  that  of  Philadelphia.  The 
city  buildings  of  a  hundred  years  ago  are  now  surpassed  by 
those  of  many  a  country  town.  The  ravishingly  beautiful  and 
highly  accomplished  women,  of  whom  it  is  the  fashion  to 
speak  in  a  style  of  gushing  sentimentality,  were  no  more 
beautiful  and  not  half  as  accomplished  as  their  great-grand- 
daughters. The  magnificent  entertainments  of  that  day  would 
How  be  laughed  to  scorn.  A  merchant-prince  of  1789  if  now 
recalled  to  life  would  find  himself  surrounded  by  men  possess- 
ing individually  more  wealth  than  could  have  been  gathered 
from  all  the  city  merchants  combined  a  hundred  years  ago. 
The  learning  of  distinguished  professors  of  that  time  is  now 
surpassed  by  that  of  many  an  humble  and  unknown  student. 
Nor  did  its  inhabitants  for  many  years  after  1789  appreciate 
the  magnitude  which  the  city  was  inevitably  to  possess.  New 
York  in  1789  was  not  even,  like  the  poet,  the  mirror  "  of  the 
gigantic  shadows  which  futurity  casts  upon  the  present." 
Nevertheless,  every  line  in  the  much  neglected  history  of  the 
city  shows  advance  and  increased  prosperity.  There  has 
always  been  progress  and  never  retrogression.  We,  too,  are 
"  in  the  morning  of  the  times  "  and  as  we  look,  perhaps  with 
amusement,  upon  the  supposed  greatness  of  our  predecessors, 
we  may  not  too  rashly  sing  : 

"  Such  is  Drowsietown — but  nay  ! 
Was,  not  is,  my  song  should  say — 
Such  was  summer  long  ago 
In  this  town  so  sleepy  and  slow. 
Change  has  come  :  thro'  wood  and  dale 
Runs  the  demon  of  the  rail, 
And  the  Drowsietown  of  yore 
Is  not  drowsy  any  more  !  " 


